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“ Bird, sing me the song of my fortune.” 







Nehe 


A Tale of the ‘Times of Artaxerxes 


BY 




ANNA PIERPONT SIVITER 

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With Illustrations hy 
CHASE EMERSON 



BOSTON AND CHICAGO 
W. A. WILDE COMPANY 
1901 




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THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copifc.3 Received 

SEP. 9 1901 

Copyright entry 
CLASS Ci/XXo. N<». 

/s-on 

COPY 3, 


Copyright, igoi. 

By W. a. Wilde Company. 
All rights reserved. 


Nehe. 


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STo fUg iFati)£r 

FRANCIS HARRISON PIERPONT 

WHO FIRST TAUGHT ME TO KNOW 
AND LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL STORY OF 


NEHEMIAH 


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Preface. 


The author of Nehe gives this story to the 
public with the hope that its readers may find the 
same pleasure that she found in living over the scenes 
and events which took place in Persia and Judea 
twenty-four hundred years ago. 

The life of the people, the times and the places of 
that far-away period, were made very real to her as 
she studied the pages of Herodotus, Xenophon, Fer- 
gusson, Rawlinson, and many other writers, but above 
all the wonderful diary of the hero of the story him- 
self, the brave, impulsive, wise young Jewish general, 
Nehemiah. 

Many times she found conflicting statements among 
writers regarded as authorities, and in such cases she 
chose those supported by the greater weight of evi- 
dence. So closely has she tried to follow the life as 
lived by these people that, although Nehe is a story 
7 


8 


PREFACE. 


of the imagination, after all it is almost all true, 
and it is sent forth with the earnest wish that it may 
lead others to study and enjoy the marvellous discov- 
eries that are being constantly brought to light by 
investigators in those Eastern lands. 


Illustrations 


PAGE 

‘ Bird, sing me the song of my fortune ’ ” Frontispiece 1 8 •- 

“ Nehe lifted the precious vessel and held it under the 

lamp” 44 ^ 

Nehe, advancing, knelt at his feet, holding up the golden 
cup, now filled with delicious wine ” . . . .105 

^ My lord, my lord ! ’ ” 183 '' 

‘^^You know my mother!’ she gasped. ‘My mother! 

And I am of the lineage of David I ’ ” . . . 277 


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NEHE. 

A Tale of the Times of Artaxerxes. 


CHAPTER 1. 



iHE day had been hot and sultry, but as dark 


JL ness fell over the plains of Persia, a pitying 
breeze sprang up in the mountains of Luristan, and, 
gliding down their rugged sides, hidden now under 
a wealth of rhododendron and wild almond blossoms, 
it had dipped its wings in the clear, cool waters of 
the river Choaspes. 

Then, sweeping over the Susianian plains, through 
orchards of peach and apple, orange and lemon trees, 
it caught all the fragrance of their pink and white 
blossoms, and, mingling them in one delicious odor, 
was carrying its cool sweetness to the inhabitants 
of Susa, — Susa, city of lilies, home and capital of 
the great king, Artaxerxes Longimanus. 

Very fair the city looked, as it shone in the last 
rays of the setting sun, to a body of travellers whose 


II 


12 


NEHE. 


caravan was slowly moving through the orchards 
and wheat fields toward it. Its huge brick walls, 
towering fifty feet in the air, hid the homes of the 
poorer citizens; but they were broken down in many 
places, and the city, pouring through their sides, had 
spread its handsome red and pink and buff brick 
houses for many miles around, and now these, sur- 
rounded by lovely gardens, seemed to the approach- 
ing travellers to be only a sample of the beauty and 
grandeur the city contained. 

As the travellers neared the entrance to Susa, 
more than once a cry of admiration escaped them. 
Early in the afternoon they had seen what seemed to 
be a beautiful cloud hovering over the city ; but as 
they came nearer, it took form and shape, until the 
slanting rays of the sinking sun brought out in all its 
magnificence the palace and treasure house, fortress 
and home, of the richest and most powerful ruler 
in the world, — ** Artaxerxes, King of Kings,” as 
he proudly emblazoned himself in imperishable let- 
ters on the palace gates, “ Son of Darius, Lord of 
Lords, Ruler of the Earth and Sea.” 

How wonderfully magnificent the palace was, as 
it lifted itself from the flower-decked plain below 
into the sunset clouds two hundred feet above! It 
looked as if it had stolen from them their beautiful 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 13 


tints, and was holding them prisoned on its lofty 
columns, its wide porticoes, its massive walls; for 
crimson and gold and purple, violet, orange, and 
blue, — all the colors the mighty sun can paint, 
when he hangs his most gorgeous tapestries against 
the western sky, — were here on this building, the 
wonder of the ages, Shushan the palace. 

As the caravan plodded along, one of the travel- 
lers, who was riding a handsome horse, turned to a 
sad-faced man who rode beside him, half supporting 
in his arms a clinging, childish figure. 

“ It is no wonder,” said the first, addressing the 
second, “ that the great Darius chose this lovely spot 
on which to build himself a city, where he could find 
security and rest. Methinks had he searched the 
world over he would not have found a place more 
pleasant to the eye.” 

“ It is very beautiful, my Lord Asshur,” the travel- 
ler answered. “ Know you if King Artaxerxes is 
there now } ” 

“Yes; I questioned the guards at the mountain 
pass as we came through, and they told me the king, 
with his court, had taken up his residence there for 
the remainder of the year, and to-morrow he will 
receive tribute in yon palace, Have you brought 
aught with you ? ” 


14 


NEHE. 


“ I have this ass I am leading,” the traveller 
answered. “ It is snow-white, without spot or blem- 
ish, such as our own kings once rode upon. I have 
trained it myself, and know it is gentle, and yet 
speedy enough for the use of a courier of the 
king.” 

“ It is a fitting present,” Asshur said, turning to 
look at the animal, which was pacing along beside 
the camel the traveller was riding. “ The king 
himself may ride it, on some hunting expedition.” 
And he gazed again approvingly at the ass. 

Asshur was a tall, dark man, dressed in the 
Persian fashion, and the traveller recognized in him 
the familiar figure of a tribute-gatherer of the king. 
He had a kindly face, and as he glanced at the 
man riding beside him, tenderly holding the child, 
his look softened, and he said : — 

“You have come a long distance, have you not, 
my friend ? I remember your camel joined my 
caravan at the head of the desert. Have you friends 
in Susa.? Know you where you will rest to-night.? 
The child seems very weary.” 

“ He is weary,” the traveller replied, “ and we 
are strangers in Susa. It is to make petition of the 
king I have come hither.” 

“ Then you shall go with us,” a young man cried. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 15 


who was riding beside the tribute-gatherer. “ Come, 
Asshur, there is plenty of room in the palace for 
the boy and his father. Ever since I joined you 
at the mountain pass, the little lad has been laying 
siege to my heart with his gentle words and laugh- 
ing eyes.” 

“Your heart is never very hard to take, is it, 
Adna, whether maid or child lay siege to it ” 
Asshur laughed. “ But if thy master Nehe does 
not complain, I shall not, and the travellers can 
enter the palace with my escort.” 

“That settles it, then,” Adna cried, his hand- 
some face glowing with pleasure. “ You can 
remain in the garden when we have entered the 
city, until I make provision for you within the 
palace walls. But have no fear; there is room and 
to spare, even when the fortress holds its thousands 
and tens of thousands, as it will to-night.” 

“ Is there so great a company, then ” Asshur 
asked, turning to the young man. 

“ Indeed there is,” he answered. “ Not only will 
the king receive tribute to-morrow, but he will also 
receive ambassadors from Greece, who have come 
to arrange a peace for Egypt. But I shall make 
room for you and the child,” he added, again turn- 
ing to the stranger, “in my own chamber.” 


i6 


NEHE. 


“ I thank you many times,” the traveller responded. 
“ Surely we shall be well provided for.” 

And he looked gratefully at the graceful young 
rider, whose rich coat of burnished mail showed 
he belonged to the king’s own household ; and the 
shadow lifted from his saddened face as they rode 
on. Just as the sun dropped out of sight he passed, 
with the caravan, over the moat and through the 
gate of the outer wall that encircled the palace. 
Here, instructed by Adna, he dismounted, and 
awaited a summons into the palace itself. 

As the night fell, another inmate of the palace 
had come down into the stillness and sweetness of 
the garden. He was a young man, and as he 
passed down the staircase whose gentle descent 
gleamed like a river of polished silver in the light 
of the many torches that the torch-bearers were 
already holding, the scarlet-kilted soldiers standing 
guard had lowered their long spears respectfully, 
and forbore to challenge him, for they recognized, 
even in that light, that he was no less a personage 
than Nehe, the cup-bearer and favorite of the king. 

At first he had strolled idly among the lily-beds, 
stopping sometimes to break off a tall, white flower, 
or to glance up at the palace that towered above 
him in the moonlight. Snatches of a sweet, plain- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 17 

tive song came from the harem garden, that nestled 
against the palace walls, and Nehe stopped occa- 
sionally to listen, as the notes floated out on the 
night air, and he smiled, recognizing the clear, girlish 
voice as that of Lydia, his mother’s own handmaiden. 

The silken curtains of the banqueting-rooms of 
the palace had been looped back, and as the lights 
in the large hanging lamps were lit, the buildings 
glowed with light and color. Afar across the plains, 
answering gleams shot up from the mountain height, 
and Nehe sighed as he saw them. He knew they 
came from the altars lit by the faithful Persian 
priests high on the mountain tops, and he won- 
dered why this people should be so much more 
faithful to the worship of their god than his own 
had been. With a slight gesture of impatience he 
turned his back on the palace and mountain, and 
walked farther down into the garden, until he 
reached a clump of acacia trees that shut him 
from view. The darkness hid the clusters of pink 
blossoms that were softly swaying among the trees’ 
feathery foliage, but their sweetness betrayed them. 

Here Nehe stopped, drawing in deep breaths and 
smiling up at the flowers in the shadows. He 
seemed a fitting inhabitant of that fair garden as 
he stood there. The moonlight sifting through the 


i8 


NEHE. 


acacias’ plumes showed an uplifted, beautiful, but 
almost boyish face, crowned with clustering black 
curls, and bound around with a fillet of gold, set 
with a single glittering stone that shone like a 
star in the moonlight. His dress was a white silk 
robe, so closely fitting about the neck and chest 
that it showed the splendid proportions of its 
wearer. A golden girdle confined it at the waist, 
and long, tapering, yellow shoes, buttoned with 
gems, completed his costume. 

Suddenly a nightingale in the boughs above him 
burst into song, as if it, too, felt all the quiet 
beauty of the night, and, catching the perfume of 
the flowers, the plash of the fountain, the play of 
the breeze, it wrapped them all in notes of exqui- 
site sweetness, and was sending forth its song, an 
offering to the Creator of the eve. As the song 
trilled out, Nehe smiled again more joyously. 

“Bird,” he said aloud, and his voice, as he 
spoke, had cadences as sweet to the human ear 
as those of the feathered songster whose music 
was pulsing around him, “bird, sing me the song 
of my fortune! See,” and he lifted up his strong 
right hand and looked at its rosy palm, “so long 
as this guards the cup of my lord the king, I 
shall be rich and proud and happy.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 19 

Then he turned the bracelet that encircled his 
wrist, and looked intently at the beautiful gem 
with which it was set, and smiled again as he 
recalled how gracious the king had been when he 
gave it to him that day. 

“Come, my Nehe,” he had said, “here are the 
gems just sent me as tribute by the Egyptians. 
You shall have your choice. The queen mother 
and Damaspia have sent me word they would have 
choice of them, but,’’ and the monarch had smiled 
a haughty, good-natured smile, “lest they should 
choose this, we will ourself bestow it on you. I 
know you will prize it.’’ And, lifting the bracelet, 
he had handed it to Nehe, adding as he did so, 
“ The gem, you see, is curiously engraved, even 
with the countenance of an Egyptian king.” 

But as Nehe stood looking at it there in the 
silvery moonlight, a shadow crossed his bright face 
and his white teeth bit into his red lips with a 
sigh of sudden pain, for Nehe remembered that as 
he had bent in thanks before the king, his eyes 
had fallen on the face of a nobleman standing 
near, whose lips were curled in a bitter, supercili- 
ous smile. The man had been a former favorite 
of the king, but of late had fallen under the mon- 
arch’s displeasure, and so was keeping himself as 


20 


NEHE. 


much as possible out of sight; but, unfortunately 
for him, just then the king turned suddenly to 
speak to his fan -bearer, and he, too, caught the 
malicious gleam of the noble’s dark eyes and the 
scornful curl of his lips. The good-natured look 
left his face, and one of keen displeasure replaced 
it. And do you scorn the king’s cup-bearer for 
having won his master’s favor, Zexa ?” he said, 
“or is it the king himself you scorn.?” Then, 
turning to the attendants standing near, he said 
angrily, “ Away with him ! Let me see his face 
no more.” 

The trembling man flung himself before the 
throne with a fearful cry. 

“ Mercy, my lord, mercy ! ” he moaned. “ ’Twas 
but a sudden twinge of pain did distort my 
countenance.” 

“ Your pains come too often, Zexa,” the king 
replied sternly; “and Persian kings alter not their 
words. I have said it. To the death ! ” 

Two attendants seized the man and bore him 
rapidly from the royal presence, and as Nehe 
remembered the unfortunate noble’s look of agony 
he moved rapidly from the acacia tree, as if he 
would fly from the memory of the scene. 

And yet in spite of his cruelty, Nehe truly loved 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 21 


the great and terrible Artaxerxes, for he had been 
a kind and even indulgent master to him; and 
though the young courtier was just entering man- 
hood, he was already one of the richest and most 
influential men of the Persian court. So great a 
favorite was he with his royal master that the 
king frequently sought and was guided by Nehe’s 
advice in matters of state, and he felt that a great 
future lay before him. Persia was at the zenith 
of her power. All the nations of the known world 
had seen her hand of steel held out to them, and 
none had refused to lay in it of her most priceless 
treasures. Egypt itself, possessor of untold wealth, 
was now a vassal ; and even the sturdy little nation 
of Greece, intrenched behind its barriers of moun- 
tain and sea, did not refuse to allow its continental 
cities to send tribute to the great Persian. And 
so, as Nehe walked there in the flower-scented 
garden, visions floated before him of honor and 
wealth and happiness that the future surely held 
for him. Perhaps he would become a great gen- 
eral and extend still farther the Persian boundaries. 
The great Cyrus had found new worlds to conquer ; 
who knew what mighty empires he might find lying 
far across the mountains ? Perhaps — and he in- 
voluntarily took a step forward — the old legend 


22 


NEHE. 


was true, and there was a beautiful land far beyond 
the green waters of the great Pontus. 

As he did so he inadvertently ran against a little 
boy who was passing, and knocked him down. 
Nehe stopped, picked the little fellow up, and as 
he set him on his feet again, he said gently : — 

“ Hush you, my lad ! Where is your father ? 
Does he not know better than to let you run loose 
in the king’s garden?” 

“ Here, my lord,” said a man, stepping from the 
shadow of a tall palm, and catching the sobbing 
boy in his arms. “ If we are trespassing, I beg my 
lord’s pardon, and we will hasten away. I have 
but lately come to this country, and the city is 
strange to me. I knew not we were on forbidden 
ground.” 

“From whence came you?” Nehe inquired, look- 
ing closely at the travel-worn garments of the 
stranger. “No citizen of Susa but knows there be 
many safer places to walk than in the garden of 
the king.” 

“ My lord,” answered the man, eagerly, appar- 
ently frightened at Nehe’s stern tone, “we be from 
Jerusalem, one- of the least of the far-away cities 
belonging to his Majesty, the great king, and we 
know not yet what is expected of the citizens of 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 23 


Susa; but, my lord, from henceforth no lovely 
garden and green walks shall tempt us to loiter.” 

“Wisely said, O stranger from Jerusalem,” an- 
swered the young man; “but tell me, if you are 
Jews, and from Jerusalem, how goes it in that far- 
off country ? ” 

“ Badly enough,” answered the stranger, sadly. 
“ Our city, once the pride and hope of a great 
nation, lies now at the mercy of her enemies. Her 
mighty walls, that towered toward heaven and made 
us laugh at our foes, have been broken down, and 
her children, like chickens unsheltered by the brood- 
ing wings of their mother, are at the mercy of 
every cruel inhabitant of the land.” 

“True,” said Nehe, “a city without walls is very 
helpless ; and have you yourself suffered, good sir ? ” 

“ I ! ” exclaimed the man, bitterly ; “ I ! Alas, 
what have I not suffered ? When I was but a 
child I lived with my father and mother and little 
brother in one of the small towns that nestled at the 
foot of the great walls of Jerusalem. Once it was 
safe enough to live there, for the watchman ’stand- 
ing above gave warning if any danger threatened. 
Then, although the walls were broken down, we 
were lulled into a false sense of security because 
the great king had allowed many of our people to 


24 


NEHE. 


return from captivity and to begin rebuilding our 
temple, and we thought his protection would keep 
us safe from molestation ; but, alas ! one day a party 
of Samaritans, sent by our enemy, Sanballat, came 
sweeping up the valley. 

“My parents saw them coming, and might have 
escaped, but they delayed their flight, trying to 
hide me, for I was ill of a fever, and they thought 
me dying. They knew to try to move me far 
meant certain death, and so with loving haste they 
carried me into the barn and hid me in a pile of 
flax. Just then the Samaritans entered. Alas! I 
can even now hear my mother’s shriek as the fierce, 
dark men seized her and my baby brother, who was 
clinging to her skirts, and bore them and my father, 
struggling, away.” 

“ Did you never see them again ? ” Nehe asked, 
in a sympathetic tone. 

“ Never,” the stranger answered. “For many 
weeks I lay in a stupor, but thanks to the lov- 
ing care of our faithful servant Joro, I at last 
recovered.” 

“Joro.^” questioned Nehe, in a startled tone. 
“ ’Tis an odd name, and yet methinks I have heard 
it before.” 

“ It was not his real name,” was the reply. “ My 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 25 


baby brother gave it to him, trying in vain to say 
Joram. We all took the name the baby called him, 
and so, though to strangers he was Joram, to me 
he was ever Joro.” 

“I see,” said Nehe; “go on with your tale. 
Have you a thought where your father and mother 
and this baby brother may be ” 

“ I have spent many hours dreaming of them,” the 
stranger answered sadly. “ Perhaps they were kept 
as slaves by the Samaritans. Perhaps they were 
sold to some passing caravan. They may have 
been sent to work in the brickyards of Egypt. 
They may even have been brought to this beautiful 
land of Persia. My father had rare skill as a gar- 
dener ; my mother, Sarai, had as great as a weaver, 
and she was wondrous dexterous, too, with her 
needle. She it was who had been chosen by Ezra 
to embroider the veil for the new temple.” 

“Your mother’s name was Sarai .^” questioned 
Nehe; and the moonlight showed that his face 
had suddenly grown white as marble, while his 
eyes were glowing like coals with the intensity of 
some hidden feeling. 

“Yes, her name was Sarai,” the stranger an- 
swered, “and my father’s name was Hachaliah. 
My own name is Hanani.” 


26 


NEHE. 


“ Hachaliah ! Hanani ! ” breathed Nehe, bending 
forward. “ Go on, I pray you ! How did you live 
alone ? ” 

‘‘Joram, the servant, brought me up, and ten- 
derly and carefully instructed me in the religion 
of my fathers. 

“ A hard and a sad boyhood I had, however, for 
our enemies were ever ready to seize our crops and 
stock. Many a year, just when our grain was ready 
to thresh, have we seen them coming riding their 
swift horses like vultures ; and almost before we 
realized they were near, they had trampled our 
fields and were gone, driving our cattle before them, 
and leaving us nothing to show for our summer’s 
work.” 

“ And had you friends then who helped you ? ” 
Nehe asked. 

“ Oh, yes ; all the citizens of Jerusalem were ready 
enough to share with one another. A common love, 
a common hatred, united us.” 

“And what was that.? ” Nehe asked. 

“The worship of the Lord God Jehovah,” the 
stranger answered, reverently looking up to the sky, 
“ and the hatred of heathen gods.” 

“Are you not bold over much.?” young Nehe 
asked, “ to say that to me, here in the city of Susa, 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 27 

where a thousand gods do daily have prayer made 
unto them ? ” 

“ I crave your pardon, my lord,” the stranger 
answered hastily ; “ it seemed in speaking to you as 
if I spoke to one of our own nation. Will you let us 
pass on lest other words offend you ? ” 

“No, no, my friend, I was not offended; go on 
with your tale and let me know why you came 
here.” 

“ I came on a sorrowful errand, my lord. Among 
those who most' befriended me after my father, 
mother, and little brother had been carried captive, 
was a goldsmith and perfume-maker, Hashum by 
name, and many and many a time, when we knew 
our home was in danger, have I taken refuge under 
his strong roof. One beautiful daughter he had, 
Hannah, and her, when I was grown to be a man, 
Hashum gave to me to be my wife. And then it 
was I first knew happiness. We had a little home, 
and for a few years most of the Arabs and other of 
our enemies were away in Artaxerxes’ armies ; so we 
tilled our fields in peace, and when two boys were 
born to us, Jamin, my first-born, and Bani, this my 
baby, life seemed very happy to me.” And he drew 
the little fellow he was still holding more closely to 
him. 


28 


NEHE. 


“ I am hungry, father,” the child said, aroused by 
the caress from a half sleep into which he had 
fallen ; ‘‘ hungry, and oh, so thirsty.” 

Nehe, who continued to drink in the stranger’s 
words with intense eagerness, had advanced step by 
step toward him, as if he feared to lose even a 
syllable; but at the child’s words his face lost a 
trifle of its intensity, and his eyes softened. Taking 
a silver whistle from his belt, he blew it. Instantly 
a young man, clad in yellow silk garments, came 
swiftly out of the shrubbery toward him, and, bowing 
low before Nehe, stood awaiting his orders ; and the 
stranger recognized, in spite of his changed costume, 
the youth Adna, who had brought them into the 
garden. 

“ Is this you, Adna ? ” Nehe exclaimed. “ I thought 
that Daniel was in attendance to-night. When did 
you return from the mountains ? ” 

“ Scarce an hour since, my lord,” replied Adna, 
“ and I begged to wait upon you in Daniel’s room, 
for I had a boon to ask.” 

”I will hear your request another time,” Nehe said 
impatiently. “ I have other business for you now. 
Here, take this child to my apartments, give him 
honey and milk, pomegranates and grapes, and when 
he is refreshed, lay him in my own bed ” Then, 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 29 


turning to the boy, he said, “Will you go and get 
the honey and milk, my child? And, Adna,” he 
added, “ mark you, tend him well, for he is my 
beloved nephew.” 

Then Nehe turned to the stranger and caught both 
his hands in his own. 

“ You are Hanani,” he said. “ My brother, do you 
not remember little Nehemiah ? ” 


30 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER II. 


S Adna lifted the child from the ground and 



Jl\. bore him smilingly away, the boy looked over 
his shoulder and saw Hanani throw both arms around 
Nehe’s neck, but he could not hear the words of 
heartfelt gladness that leaped to his lips. 

“Now God be praised!” he cried; “if I have 
suffered terrible losses, here at last is a joy I never 
hoped for. Oh, Nehemiah, tell me, do my mother 
and father yet live } ” 

“Our mother is living still,” Nehe replied, “but 
our father sleeps not with his fathers, but with many 
of his brethren, who have been captive in this coun- 
try. But oh, my brother, it does not seem possible 
you are really Hanani, and yet now that I look 
closely I can see how much you resemble our father. 
How often he lamented your death, for he never 
doubted you were dying when they left you hidden 
in the flax ! Come, let us hasten to my apartments, 
where you may refresh yourself, and as we walk, you 
can tell me how you came here and why.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 31 


“ That is soon told,” Hanani answered. “ One 
day while I was away in the city a band of the Phi- 
listines, led by the cruel Sanballat, came sweeping 
down on my little home, just as they did on that of 
my father twenty years before. Hearing a rumor of 
the raid, I hastened home, but it was home no more, 
for Hannah and Jamin were gone. Bani, my baby, 
was with me in the city, and so escaped.” 

“ And have you had no tidings of them since ? ” 
Nehe asked. “ My poor brother, how you have 
suffered ! ” 

“ No, I never even heard of them again, but faith- 
ful old Joram, who lived with us, told me that as a 
fierce Samaritan rode off with Hannah, she raised 
her beautiful eyes to heaven and pointed upward, 
as if she were telling him where to look for help.” 

“Did you make no effort to find her.?” Nehe 
asked impatiently. “ I would have searched desert 
and sea.” 

“ My brother, how far do you think a single man 
could venture into the land of the Samaritans, no 
matter how well armed he might be, or how far 
could he go alone into the desert ? But I did 
spend my little all in trying to bribe Sanballat to 
return my wife, only to be laughed to scorn in the 
end. He even denied all knowledge of her cap- 


32 


NEHE. 


ture. Then it was that my father-in-law, the gold- 
smith, urged me to come to Susa and beseech the 
great king, Artaxerxes, to allow us, his faithful 
Jewish subjects, to rebuild the walls of our city, 
and so protect our loved ones from the cruel hordes 
who roam that country; for, though the king’s 
great-grandfather, Cyrus, and his father, Xerxes, 
had allowed us to rebuild our beautiful temple, our 
walls are still rubbish heaps. I was ready to un- 
dertake this mission, for I could not endure the 
thought that my little son might some day suffer 
as I have done,” continued Hanani. “And in a 
country where for generations the Arabs have roved, 
what security is there for any one who lives in a 
city without walls ? ” 

As Hanani said this, he looked up at the huge 
walls that rose a hundred feet high around the 
citadel of Susa. 

“What safety, indeed.?” echoed Nehe, following 
his glance. “ Rich and powerful as Longimanus 
is, and strong as are his great armies, I would 
scarcely dare live in the palace itself were it not 
for the walls.” 

“Yet I noticed that the walls of the city are 
broken in many places,” Hanani said. 

“True,” Nehe answered; “for since this fortress 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 33 


was strengthened by Artaxerxes he has not kept 
them in repair. Who among the nations,” he con- 
tinued proudly, “would venture to attack the most 
powerful one on earth And even if such a mira- 
cle should come to pass, there is room within the 
fortress gates for all the city.” 

“ Is the palace so large as that ? ” Hanani asked. 

“Twenty thousand men are fed at the king’s 
table every day of the year,” Nehe answered ; 
“and there is room for many times that number 
within the palace gates. But tell me,” he con- 
tinued, “what became of that great multitude of 
Jews who returned to Jerusalem a few years ago 
to rebuild the city ? It was a great feast day here, 
the day they set out with bands and music, and 
great rejoicing, to restore the city of our fathers.” 

“ And so it was in Jerusalem when they arrived,” 
Hanani answered, “and for a time the work went 
gloriously on ; but it came to an end in this wise : 
Sanballat was a great friend of the Persian governor 
of our country, but he had married his daughter to 
the Levite, Noah.” 

“But,” cried Nehe, “it is not lawful for a Jew 
to marry a woman of another nation.” 

“ I know it,” Hanani answered ; “ and when Ezra, 
the leader of the returned Jews, discovered Noah’s 


34 


NEHE. 


heathen wife, he made Noah send her back to 
Sanballat, her father. Then, in revenge, Sanballat 
hatched this wicked plot against us. He went to 
the Persian governor. Rehum, and told him the 
Jews were but rebuilding their city in order to 
rebel against Longimanus, our Persian king. Re- 
hum immediately sent this word to the king, and 
of course the work was stopped at once ; and since 
then our city has lain at the mercy of any who 
are strong enough to attack a few thousand unde- 
fended citizens.” 

“It is grievous, indeed,” said Nehe, sighing; 
“and had I not so fine a position here, I would 
feel as if I ought to go to Jerusalem and help to 
defend it from its enemies.” 

“ My brother,” said Hanani, earnestly, “ who 
knows but you are called to this high place in the 
kingdom in order to use your influence with the 
king, just as was Esther in the last reign.? Think 
how she helped her people when Xerxes would 
have destroyed them ! And so may you, if you 
will, for surely if our city is not soon rebuilt, the 
Jews will all be destroyed.” 

The two men had been slowly walking toward 
the palace as they talked, and now they had reached 
the magnificent gateway that led to the inner walls. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 35 


Hanani paused for a moment to look in wonder 
at it. The gateway was ninety feet high and of 
stone, and about twenty-five feet wide. On each 
side three winged bulls guarded the gate, and as 
they towered nineteen feet above them, Hanani 
almost trembled, they looked so huge and terrible 
in the moonlight. 

“ It was just outside this gate that Haman set up 
the gallows on which he intended to hang Mor- 
decai,” Nehe said, looking up at the gate. “You 
have doubtless heard the tale.” 

“Oh, yes,” Hanani answered; “it was a favorite 
story with the Jews after their return to Jerusalem. 
It was a brave deed.” 

“ Indeed, it was,” Nehe commented. “ None know 
better than those who wait upon the king how dan- 
gerous an errand it is for one to seek his presence 
unasked.” 

As they talked, the brothers passed through the 
gate, and found themselves in a huge marble court 
which was built on a high platform. Indeed, the 
entire palace, with its upper gardens, rested on this 
platform, which was partly natural rock and partly 
built of brick. The palace consisted of a number 
of buildings, but in spite of the glorious moonlight, 
so dense was the shade the larger structures cast 


36 


NEHE. 


over the smaller, that to the bewildered eyes of 
Hanani the whole seemed one magnificent build- 
ing, made up of a wilderness of marble stairways, 
columns, roofs, and porticoes. 

He slipped his hand in the arm of Nehe, and 
walked close beside him. The scene was all so 
new and strange, a feeling half of fear and half of 
shyness came over Hanani, and he was glad he 
had this handsome, stately young courtier to walk 
beside him. 

“These are the barracks of the guards,” Nehe 
said, as they crossed the portico of a long, low 
building standing just inside the gate, that was 
swarming with men. Many of these were loung- 
ing about the entrance to their apartments, clad 
only in a short scarlet tunic that passed over the 
left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder and the 
right arm bare, and then fell halfway to the knee. 
A girdle fastened it at the waist, and held in place 
a short, straight sword, which seemed made rather 
for stabbing than for cutting. The sword was car- 
ried in a sheath, and this sheath was made more 
secure by being attached to the right thigh by a 
leather thong. 

Glancing in at the open door of the soldiers’ bar- 
racks as he passed, Hanani saw by the light of the 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 37 


torches that were held by attendants, many officers 
just returned from outside duty, whose coats of mail 
were being unlaced by their body-servants. One 
officer was so completely covered by his glittering 
armor that he looked like a huge silver fish. In one 
corner of the court, into which the gate led, some 
slingers were practising their art, the bright moon- 
light showing their mark as plainly as if it were day. 

Seated in another corner an old man was telling a 
story to a group of soldiers lounging around him. 
They had made comfortable chairs for themselves by 
planting their huge shields of wicker work on the 
ground. 

“ This is one of our most famous story-tellers,” 
Nehe said, stopping before the group. What tale 
are you telling to-night, Hassan } ” 

The old man raised his head, and when he and the 
men about him saw who addressed him, they all 
bowed themselves to the ground. 

“ Rise,” Nehe said, “ and rest you, my men. Go 
on with your tale, Hassan. We, too, would hear it.” 

“ The tale I was about to tell, my lord,” Hassan 
said, again seating himself, “was of the loyalty of 
those Persians who followed the great Xerxes. As 
that king was returning on a Phoenician ship from his 
expedition against the Greeks, a terrible storm arose. 


38 NEHE. 

For a time it seemed as if the waves must overwhelm 
and sink the vessel, but at the height of the peril 
Xerxes cried to the helmsman, ‘ Is there no escape 
from this danger ?’ ‘ None,’ shouted the helmsman, 

‘ unless the ship be lightened from this large body of 
men that crowd it. They sink it into the angry waves.’ 
* Then,’ cried Xerxes, turning to the Persian soldiers, 
‘ men of Persia, now is the time for you to show your 
devotion to your king. My safety depends on your 
love.’ The Persians heard him in silence, then, bow- 
ing low before him, they shouted, ‘ Long live King 
Xerxes!’ and flung themselves headlong into the 
boiling waves, while the ship, lightened of her bur- 
den, rode safely on. Thus, O soldiers, have loyal 
Persians ever acted when the choice lay between 
their own safety and that of their king.” 

“ Your tale is well told, Hassan,” said Nehe, as he 
placed a small coin in his hand. Then, turning to 
Hanani, he said, “ Come, my brother, we must 
hasten on, for Bani will have finished his evening 
meal, and will be wondering what has become of his 
father.” 

” What building is this ? ” Hanani asked, as they 
began to ascend a marble staircase. 

” It is the king’s own house,” Nehe replied, “but 
his hall of audience lies there beyond.” And he 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 39 


pointed to an edifice so enormous that its outlines 
were lost in the moonlight. 

They walked up the staircase to a marble portico, 
and then past guard-rooms, where long lines of 
guards were stationed, and paused at a great wooden 
door. At the sight of the seal that dangled from 
Nehe’s wrist, the soldiers who were guarding it 
lowered their long spears and gave a signal that was 
answered from within. The door swung open, and 
Hanani realized that he was in the palace of the 
greatest king on earth. 


40 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER III. 


OMING out of the night, for a moment Hanani’s 



eyes were blinded by the glare of color, and his 
ears were deafened by the crash of music from many 
instruments and the voices of the men inside. Then, 
as his vision grew clearer, he saw that he was in a 
corridor paved with white and colored marbles. The 
vista through open golden doors showed other corri- 
dors, with pillars of polished whiteness shining out 
from a sea of color. Figures of marble and bronze 
ran along the wall, rank above rank, bathed in mys- 
terious tints, sometimes half hidden by curtains of 
exquisite color. Turn as he would, he saw those glow- 
ing colors. Soldiers and officers’ slaves, bearing 
golden dishes heaped with fruit, magnificently clothed 
court officials and attendants of all grades were hur- 
rying to and fro, and Hanani noticed that although 
many curious glances were cast upon him, he was 
not molested or annoyed in any way. Everywhere 
heads were bent before Nehe in courteous and 
respectful recognition. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 41 


Passing along the corridor, Nehe led Hanani into 
a large hall, the golden ceiling of which was upheld 
by thirty-six lofty pillars, overlaid with the same 
precious metal. The walls were hung with silken 
stuff richly embroidered, and on the floor were laid 
rich Oriental rugs. Distributed throughout the room 
were beautiful tables at which guests were reclining 
on luxurious couches, and they were served by bare- 
footed slaves, black as night, whose arms and necks 
were loaded with bracelets and chains of gold. 

“Is the king here ? ’’ Hanani asked, glancing 
around at the tables. 

“Oh, no,” Nehe answered ; “ Artaxerxes always dines 
alone, save at the great feast, once a year, or when 
he is with Queen Damaspia in her private apart- 
ments. But come, let us hasten to my own cham- 
ber, where we can talk alone.” 

Then, crossing the room, he led the way to another 
corridor similar to the first, and presently paused 
before a tall narrow doorway, the wooden door of 
which, opening inward, was closed and fastened by 
bars and an enormous lock. The entrance was 
guarded by six eunuchs. They were the first Hanani 
had ever seen, and when Nehe called his attention 
to them he turned and regarded them curiously. 

They had the same general appearance — low 


42 


NEHE. 


foreheads, small round noses, full lips, bloated 
cheeks, and large double chins. They were dressed, 
too, in a fashion peculiar to themselves. Instead 
of the short tunic of leather, silk, linen, or mail that 
the other guards wore, their long, narrow gowns, 
fringed at the edge, came almost to their feet, and 
had tight, short sleeves. They wore earrings and 
glittering armlets and bracelets. In spite of the 
splendor of their dress, Hanani turned away shudder- 
ing from the cruel, cunning glitter of their sharp, 
bright eyes. 

“ This is the entrance to the harem,” Nehe said ; 
“ and our mother’s apartments are here. She is as 
high in the favor of the queen as I am in that of 
the king. Jewesses have always found favor in the 
court since the reign of Queen Esther.” 

Hanani turned impulsively toward the bull-guarded 
gateway. 

“ Oh, let us enter ! ” he said. “ My very heart 
cries out for a sight of my mother.” 

Nehe caught him by the arm. 

“My brother,” he exclaimed, “if your foot had 
but crossed that portal, not all the influence in the 
kingdom would have saved your life ! It is the 
king’s right and that of the eunuchs alone, to enter 
there. Come, let us hasten away! Already those 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 43 


eunuchs gaze at us too steadily. I will send word 
to my mother, and she will come to us, and you shall 
see her in due season. But see, here is my own 
room, where you shall find safety and rest.” 

Nehe paused before a doorway draped with a 
silken curtain, and, drawing it aside, led the way 
into a magnificent apartment, saying as he did so : 

“Welcome, my brother! May you find here 
peace I ” 

Hanani had expected a beautiful room, but the 
one into which he was ushered was so magnificent 
that he paused on the threshold, overcome for a 
moment with surprise. 

The apartment was long and narrow, and the 
floor was covered with a rich Persian carpet, whose 
texture and tints were so exquisite, Hanani hesitated 
to place his foot upon it, although in obedience to 
the Eastern custom, his sandals had already been 
removed and his feet bathed in a beautiful bronze 
basin by a slave who knelt at the door of the ban- 
quet hall. 

Lamps of silver hung by silver chains from the 
ceiling, and richly carved stools and very high tables 
were scattered around the apartment. 

On one of these tables rested a jewelled cup on a 
golden tray. 


44 


NEHE. 


So exquisite was its workmanship that Hanani 
involuntarily went forward to examine it. As he put 
out his hand, however, a soldier who was standing 
by the table quickly drew his short sword from his 
girdle, and interposed it between Hanani’s hand 
and the treasured cup. 

Hanani drew back with a start. 

“ It seemeth me the king’s palace is a dangerous 
place for a poor Hebrew, my brother,” he said. 

Nehe smiled. 

“You can hardly expect to touch the king’s cup, 
my brother,” he answered. “ I am his cup-bearer, 
and my life is the forfeit if harm come to the king 
through the cup. A drop of poison in this cup, 
my Hanani, and Persia lacks a king and you lack 
a brother. Hence my most trustworthy soldiers 
guard it day and night. Arbaces, let me take it. 
I would show it to my brother.” 

The soldier sheathed his sword, and Nehe lifted 
the precious vessel and held it under the lamp, that 
Hanani might examine it. 

The base of the cup was a beautifully modelled 
lion’s head, from which the cup itself arose, shaped 
like a lily, and studded with precious stones. In 
spite of its beauty, as it lay sparkling in Nehe’s 
hand, Hanani was glad when he restored it to its 



Nehe lifted the precious vessel and held it under the lamp 






A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 45 


place on the gold tray, and as he did so an over- 
whelming sense of his brother’s responsibility as 
cup-bearer to the king swept over Hanani. 

“ I thought Jerusalem without walls a dangerous 
place,” he said, “but methinks, brother, that when 
one considers the enemies a king like Longimanus 
must have, it is as safe as this great walled city. 
A drop of poison is as dangerous to a king as an 
army to a city. I wonder not you guard your 
cup, or that the king must greatly trust his cup- 
bearer.” 

Just then a shrill cry of “ Oh, father, my father ! ” 
attracted Hanani’s attention, and looking down the 
apartment, he saw his little son endeavoring to climb 
down from a high stool that stood by one of the 
tables. 

“Wait, Bani,” called Nehe, cheerily ; “ let us come 
to you, little man, and share your evening meal.” 

The little fellow smiled contentedly, and the two 
hastened to him. As his father took the seat Nehe 
designated, he said sadly : — 

“Oh, Bani, what would I not give if only your 
mother and brother were here to-night!” And he 
glanced at the table laden with fruit and meat and 
milk, and then bowed his head, as was the custom 
of the Hebrews, turning his face toward Jerusalem, 


46 


NEHE. 


and praying for the protection of the Lord God 
over his dear ones. 

When he raised it again, Nehe said: — 

“ And now, brother, I will see if I can get speech 
with our mother to-night. I long to see her joy 
when she knows thou art really alive.” 

So saying, he turned to one of his attendants 
and said : — 

“ Give me my writing materials.” 

The man bowed low, and a moment later placed 
before Nehe a small roll of papyrus, on which the 
cup-bearer hastily wrote a few words in the Hebrew 
characters; and then, sealing it with his seal, he 
ordered the man to carry it to the eunuch Eros, 
asking him if possible to give it at once to the 
Lady Sarai. 

“ None of the inmates of the harem are allowed 
to leave its doors,” Nehe resumed, turning to 
Hanani, ‘*save when they follow the king. But 
my mother once saved the young queen’s life, and 
as she is a Hebrew, the king allows her and her 
maidens to visit my apartments. So I hope to see 
her soon. And now let us eat and refresh ourselves, 
and you shall tell me what I can do to help you.” 

** But first,” cried Hanani, lifting his goblet of 
sparkling water, “ tell me of yourself, for I know 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 47 


nothing of you since you were stolen away, scarce 
more than a baby, sobbing in my mother’s arms.” 

“ I have no memory of that terrible scene,” 
mused Nehe, “but my mother has told me that we 
were carried to the handsome city of Samaria. 
Here we were seen by a Persian general, who was 
so struck with the beauty of my father and mother 
that he bought us for a present to King Arta- 
xerxes. The king soon took my father into his ser- 
vice as a gardener, and my mother was sent to wait 
on the queen dowager. Her skill as a needlewoman 
earned the queen’s favor, and she gradually rose 
until she became head lady to the present queen. 
She is now the most trusted of her Majesty’s 
attendants. My father’s rare skill as a gardener 
stood him, too, in good stead, for the Persian nobles, 
while they despise and scorn trade of all kinds, 
holding that it teaches men to lie, consider garden- 
ing an honorable occupation. He soon rose to be 
chief gardener to the king — a position of great 
honor and importance, in which he heaped up 
great riches.” 

“ Did he live long to enjoy his wealth.?” Hanani 
asked. 

“ Yes ; he lived until a year ago,” Nehe answered, 
“and then died full of years and honors.” 


48 


NEHE. 


“ Did you live with him all those years ? 

“No,” Nehe answered, taking a bunch of luscious 
grapes from a golden tray that a kneeling slave 
held up to him ; “ I was left with my parents until 
I was five years old. Then the king’s chamberlain, 
seeing I was a sturdy little fellow, entered me in 
the royal school, and there I remained until I was 
fifteen, when I became a member of the king’s body- 
guard, though my training in the school still con- 
tinued.” 

“ What were you taught } ” 

“ We learned all the ceremonies of the court, and 
were taught to hunt, to ride, to shoot with the bow, 
to handle the sword, and, above all else, to speak 
the truth. Indeed, to be a page in the king’s 
school was no light matter. Long before daylight 
the awakenefs went from room to room, calling the 
boys. How we hated their ‘ Rise you, rise you, my 
masters ! ’ But we hated still more the touch of 
their long black whips, and so, no matter how dark 
it was, or cold and chill on a winter’s morning, we 
quickly rose at their stern call. Hastily dressing 
ourselves and drinking a glass of milk, we went 
out into the marble court you saw in front of the 
palace, and began our day’s work. There we were 
taught to run like deer and to ride as though we 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 49 


were part of a horse itself. I assure you, no Arab 
of the desert can sit his horse more securely than 
the boys of the king’s school. By the time we 
were seven we could send an arrow straight to the 
mark at fifty paces, and at nine we were accom- 
plished horsemen. What gala days those were for 
us when the king and his court came out into the 
field and watched us as we raced at full speed 
before them, throwing our javelins and shooting 
our arrows with unerring aim as our horses thun- 
dered by ! At ten years old we began to join the 
court on its hunting expeditions, and it was the 
skill with which I ran down and killed a wild 
boar, that was in the act of goring a favorite dog 
of the king’s, that first gained me the monarch’s 
favor, a favor that he has not withdrawn from 
that day to this. 

“We lived on the plainest fare, and many days 
we went hungry, for part of our training was to 
teach us to seek food for ourselves when we were 
in the forest. So we grew up strong, sturdy, honest 
youths, fit material for the warlike nation of the 
Persians.” 

“How strange it all is,” said Hanani, “that we 
two brothers should have had such a different 
youth.” 


50 


NEHE. 


“ I don’t think it was so very different, brother,” 
Nehe replied. “ You learned to ride and shoot, to 
till the ground and tell the truth, and so did I ; and 
as for danger, perchance the inmate of the palace is 
not more safe than he who dwells in the field. But 
I think our mother approaches.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 51 


CHAPTER IV. 

A S Nehe spoke, the silken curtains were drawn 
aside from the doorway, and the attendant 
announced : — 

“ My Lord Nehe, your mother, the Lady Sarai, 
awaits your pleasure.” 

Both the brothers arose, but a gesture from Nehe 
restrained Hanani from advancing, while he himself 
went forward. 

As Nehe did so, Hanani’s eyes were riveted on the 
lady who now entered the room. She was only a lit- 
tle past fifty, and her majestic figure was as upright 
as a girl’s. Her wavy black hair was smoothed back 
to her ears, and then held in place by a fillet of gold 
set with pearls. A long robe of white silk, with a 
heavy gold fringe, fell to her ankles, and her small 
and well-formed feet were shod with delicate sandals. 

The lady’s beautiful arms were bare, but were 
partly concealed by a short cloak of violet silk, 
richly embroidered and fringed, which fell to her 
waist. Her face was sweet and attractive. The 
sensitive mouth drooped at the corners, a§ do the 


52 


NEHE. 


mouths of those that have suffered, and her large, 
brilliant, dark eyes had a pathetic look; but they 
were eyes that could smile as well as weep, and 
the whole face was one that showed a sweet, pure 
nature. 

Beside her walked a slender girlish figure dressed 
entirely in white. Her face was concealed by the 
veil that fell over it, but her arms, bare to the shoul- 
der, gleamed through the mist of her veil in shapely 
beauty. According to the Persian custom, she held 
in her hand a crimson rose. 

As Sarai and her maiden stepped inside the door- 
way, a eunuch followed her, and stood with folded 
hands awaiting her pleasure. Apparently oblivious 
to all around him, the eunuch’s keen, searching eyes 
took in every detail of the little group before him, 
and his ears were strained to catch the faintest 
whisper. Every soldier and attendant in the room 
looked askance at him as he stood there, for they 
realized that here was one of the spies of the harem. 
Here was the means by which the cruel queen 
mother kept herself informed of all that went on 
within the walls of the palace, and many a noble’s 
life had hung on the word of this heavy-browed 
man, standing there seemingly as silent and a^ 
motionless as a statue. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 53 


The Lady Sarai came forward eagerly to meet 
Nehe, holding out both hands and exclaiming: — 

“ My son, naught has gone amiss, I hope ? Your 
note alarmed me, bidding my speedy attendance 
here ; but one look at your face tells me all is 
well.” 

“Yes, mother,” Nehe answered; “but since the 
time I saw you faint when news of father’s safe 
return from battle was given you, I have feared 
almost as much to give you good news as to give 
you bad.” 

“ And what good news have you for me, Nehe ? ” 
she asked, taking his hand and kissing him on both 
cheeks. “ You are well and prosperous. That is 
all that can give me pleasure now.” 

“ Mother,” Nehe said tenderly, as he gazed into 
her sweet, dark eyes, “ mother, tell me, truly, what 
was the saddest hour you ever knew ? ” 

The Lady Sarai’s lips quivered as she replied : — 

“ My son, you doubtless think I shall answer, the 
hour your father died; but no, one hour there was 
sadder even than that. Hachaliah went to his death 
at a good old age. He was many years older than I, 
and, captive though he was, he had all the comfort 
that love could give him ; but, oh, Nehe ! ” 

“ Yes, mother,” the young man said tenderly. 


54 


NEHE. 


“ Oh, Nehe, you do not remember Hanani, your 
brother, my sturdy, beautiful boy, who was stricken 
with fever, and whom I hid in the flax and left 
dying, the day we were carried captive. Oh, Hanani, 
my boy, my boy ! ” she cried passionately, how his 
feeble little hands strove to hold me, as I drew the 
flax over him, and though his eyes were fast closing 
in unconsciousness, how wistfully they looked at me, 
as he moaned, ‘ Mother, mother ! do not leave me ! ’ 
Sometimes I wake in the night and hear that cry 
ringing in my ears. Nehe, all these years my empty 
arms have ached for my first-born, my Hanani ! 
The hour I left my darling — that was the saddest, 
the very saddest hour of all my life. But why do 
you speak of it to-night, dear son ? ” And Lady 
Sarai looked inquiringly at Nehe, while her maiden, 
who had drawn close to her mistress, laid one hand 
caressingly on her arm, in deepest sympathy. 

“ Because, mother,” Nehe replied earnestly, “ did 
you ever think that Hanani might not have died ? ” 

“Only to pray that he did,” the Lady Sarai an- 
swered. “ How could the child live on alone in that 
country, desolated in turn by the Arab and Egyptian ? 
And yet never a night since then has passed that I 
have not prayed, ‘ Lord God of my fathers, if he lives, 
preserve him in peace, and in the religion of his 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 55 

fathers ! ’ I cannot bear to think of my son as a 
worshipper of Bel.” 

“And God heard your prayer, mother,” exclaimed 
Hanani, no longer able to restrain himself. “Lo, I 
am come to thee ! ” 

And he caught the Lady Sarai in his strong 
arms. 

She gave a cry of utter astonishment, and then her 
eyes fairly devoured the handsome, expressive face of 
the man bending over her. For a moment incredulity 
and astonishment dominated her ; then a look of in- 
tense tenderness and happiness grew in her eyes. 
Throwing her arms around Hanani’s neck, she drew 
him close to her, exclaiming : — 

“ Hanani, my son ! my son ! ” 

Meantime little Bani had followed his father across 
the long apartment, and now he seized hold of Lady 
Sarai’s gown, crying : — 

“ Pretty lady, Bani kiss ’00, too.” 

And Sarai, looking down, saw what seemed to her 
bewildered eyes the face of the child she had left 
dying in the barn more than twenty years before. 
The same curly hair, blue eyes, and thin, expressive 
lips of his father looked up at her. This face, how- 
ever, bloomed in health and beauty, and that had been 
thin and pale with disease. 


56 


NEHE. 


** Hanani ! ” she cried, sobbing and catching him in 
her arms. “ Oh, how I have searched every boyish 
face all these years for just a chance look of you, 
and now at last here you are ! Is it a miracle ? ” she 
asked. “ Has God sent me two sons in place of 
one ? ” 

No, no, mother,” Nehe answered, laughing for 
very joy in her delight, “ but you have a son restored, 
and a grandson. Come, let us sit down, and you shall 
hear all the strange, yea, wonderful things that Ha- 
nani has to tell. It may be,” he added, “that God 
has sent us first to this far country, and kept Hanani 
there in Palestine, that our hearts might be moved to 
save others from suffering as you have done.” 

So saying, Nehe led his mother to a luxurious chair, 
which she took, though she still kept Bani clasped in 
her arms while her eyes scarcely left Hanani’s face 
for an instant. 

It was some time before Hanani could take up the 
history of his life, for Lady Sarai interrupted him 
constantly with caresses and questions ; but at last it 
was all told, — of the servant’s faithful care, of Ha- 
nani’s marriage to Hannah, of the breaking up of his 
home, and at last of how his wife and child were even 
now prisoners of the cruel and treacherous Sanballat, 
and how Hanani had come to Susa, hoping he might 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 57 

obtain an audience with King Longimanus, and plead 
the cause of the defenceless Jews in the unwalled 
city of Jerusalem. 

Long and earnestly they talked, and many were 
the plans suggested and set aside each time with the 
significant words, “Too dangerous.” 

“ Why } ” Hanani asked at last, “ why do you con- 
stantly say 'too dangerous,’ mother.? Is it not safe 
for a subject to see his king .? ” 

“My son,” the Lady Sarai answered, “when you 
think of a king, you think of such a one as Solomon 
was, or David, but you must know, Hanani, that a 
Persian king is in the eyes of his people a god. None 
may enter his presence unsummoned, on pain of death, 
— not even the queen ; and if a complaint were made 
concerning the defenceless city, he might think, in- 
deed he would be almost sure to take it for granted, 
that you were planning an insurrection, and then he 
would order your instant death. And such a death, 
to be buried alive or crucified ! These are two of the 
least painful of the many forms of Persian punish- 
ment ! No, no ! it is not to be thought of ! We will 
wait, my Hanani, and we will take counsel with the 
wisest of our people. We will pray, and the God of 
our fathers will suggest to us some plea that we may 
make that will turn the king’s heart to us, and yet not 


58 


NEHE. 


endanger more than need be the one who makes it. 
And now I must go.” 

The two young men arose as the Lady Sarai did, 
and Hanani said earnestly : — 

“ I did not realize the difficulty of the task that lay 
before me, mother. Yes, yes, we must pray that God 
will show us the way.” 

Nehe held out his hand, and as his mother moved 
little Bani to her other arm in order to take it, the 
child awakened. 

“ Give him to me, mother,” Hanani said. “ He is 
my little man now.” And he stood the boy gently on 
the floor. 

The child looked toward the huge eunuch, who was 
still standing inside the doorway, where the Lady 
Sarai had left him, and, attracted by his golden ear- 
rings and bracelets, moved toward him. 

Nehe turned around. ‘‘ Adna! ” he said, and then, 
laying his hand on his mother’s arm, he smiled and 
pointed across the room. The Lady Sarai’s glance 
followed his, and then she, too, smiled, and a sweet, 
merry look came over her face as she called : — 

“ Lydia, I need your attendance to replace my 
veil.” 

Hanani, struck by her tone of merry raillery, 
turned quickly also, and the picture that caught his 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 59 


eye was certainly pretty enough to hold the laughing 
gaze of all three. No wonder Sarai’s voice was soft 
as music in spite of its laughing note, as she called, 
“ Lydia ! ” for Nehe’s handsome armor-bearer, Adna, 
clad in his yellow silk tunic, was bending eagerly 
over Lydia, their graceful forms outlined against the 
crimson tapestry of the wall. Lydia, taking advan- 
tage of the absorption of her mistress, had drawn 
aside her veil, as was the custom in the apartments 
of the Jews, and had retreated to the shadow of a 
tall pillar in one corner of the room. Here Adna, 
fancying himself unnoticed, followed her, and the little 
group of two had been as deeply absorbed in a low 
conversation, at that side of the room, as had been 
the larger group at the other. 

Apparently Adna had been pleading earnestly 
with the lovely girl for some favor, for at last she 
raised the crimson rose, and, dropping her beautiful 
eyes, while a bright smile dimpled over her face, 
handed it to him, saying softly : — 

“ Take it, then. Tis but a rose.” 

The youth took it, answering earnestly : — 

“ But it has lain in your hand,” and raised it to 
his lips. 

Unluckily for Adna, it was just at this moment 
that Nehe, needing his services, sent a searching 


6o 


NEHE. 


glance around the room, and discovered his retreat. 
Both young people started as Sarai called, and the 
rose Adna held was scarcely as red as the fair cheeks 
of Lydia as she hastily dropped her veil over them, 
and came timidly forward to do her mistress’s bid- 
ding. But Adna came toward them with head erect 
and shining eyes, thrusting the rose into his tunic, 
looking as one who has been honored by a king or 
who has gained a princely boon. 

As Lydia adjusted her mistress’s veil, Nehe turned 
to Lady Sarai and said : — 

“ Mother, I wish you would not bring that eunuch 
Barras when you come to my chamber. He hates 
me, because his brother was cup-bearer to the king 
before me. I fear he will do me some harm.” 

The Lady Sarai looked startled. 

“ What harm could he do you, Nehe ? ” she asked. 

“ I know not, my mother,” Nehe answered, “ but I 
like not the look in his evil eyes. To-night, as we 
have talked, he has been glancing around and around 
the apartment. I am sure the man means harm.” 

As Nehe spoke, there was a sudden flash at the 
end of the room. The silver chain which held one of 
the lamps gave way, and the lamp was dashed to the 
floor, just at the side of the silken curtains. In an 
instant they caught fire, and the flame leaped up 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 6i 


the doorway, reaching out red arms to the linen draper- 
ies that hung on either side. Every one sprang for- 
ward to put out the fire, and for a few moments all 
was confusion and terror. But the blaze proved a 
slight one, for the flames were extinguished almost as 
quickly as they had caught, and Nehe congratulated 
himself that no more damage had been done than the 
loss of a few curtains. 

The servants were busy removing the burnt 
finery, when the soldier who guarded the king’s 
cup quickly approached Nehe, saying excitedly: — 

'' My lord, the cup ! The king’s cup is gone ! ” 
It cannot be far,” Nehe replied. “ It has been 
knocked from the table in the confusion. Arbaces,” 
he added reproachfully, “why did you not guard 
it.?” 

“My lord,” Arbaces replied respectfully, “in the 
confusion of the fire some one knocked against me, 
and I tripped and fell. When I recovered myself, 
the cup was gone ! ” 

They all turned and walked to the table where 
the cup had stood, and began a rapid search for it 
on the floor and beneath the furniture. Scarcely 
had they done so, when Barras came forward with 
a deep obeisance. 

“My lord,” he said, handing Nehe the precious 


62 


NEHE. 


vessel, ‘‘it would not please the king were he to 
know that I found his cup rolling in a corner of 
your room.” 

Nehe flushed hotly. 

“ Had you not been here, perhaps it would not 
have been found there,” he said significantly. 

The eunuch’s dark eyes flashed, but he said 
nothing, and the Lady Sarai interposed sweetly : — 

“ Never mind, Nehe ! The cup has been found. 
No harm has been done. Good night!” 

Then, kissing her sons, she bestowed a farewell 
caress on little Bani, and left the apartment, fol- 
lowed by the eunuch and Lydia. As she did so, 
Nehe set the cup back in its place on the table, 
regarding it closely. 

“ I like not the look of that eunuch,” he said ; 
“but I am glad the cup is safe.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 63 


CHAPTER V. 


HE torches were being extinguished in the 



1 harem when Lady Sarai entered its corridor, 
and, after stopping for a whispered word with the 
eunuch who guarded the queen’s apartment, she 
passed on to her own room. Barras respectfully 
drew aside the curtain for her to enter, and then 
retraced his steps to the door of the queen’s 
apartment. 

“ Eros,” he said vehemently, to the guard, “ a 
word with the queen ! a word with the queen ! It 
is a matter of life or death to the king ! ” 

“Wait, then, and you shall see her!” Eros replied, 
and hastily entered her room. 

A moment after he reappeared, saying: — 

“ Enter ! the queen will see you I ” 

Drawing aside the silken curtains which hid the 
doorway, Eros ushered Barras into the presence 
of Queen Damaspia, who was reclining on a mag- 
nificent couch, covered with a robe of white silk, 
embroidered with pearls. Above the couch climbed 


64 


NEHE. 


the golden vine which had been given to her hus- 
band’s grandfather, the great Darius, by Pythias 
the Lydian. The queen lay in the shadow of the 
canopy which the vine upheld, but as Barras ap- 
proached the couch, it seemed to him that each 
priceless jewel in the clusters that hung there was 
a piercing eye gazing into his guilty soul. 

A maiden kneeling near her mistress’s head was 
softly strumming on a harp an accompaniment to 
a low, sweet slumber song. At a gesture from her 
mistress she hushed her notes, and, as the eunuch 
prostrated himself, the queen said haughtily: — 

“ Rise, Barras ! and tell me what brings you 
here at this late hour. Your errand must be one 
of life or death, indeed, to make you risk my dis- 
pleasure by disturbing me when I have sought 
repose.” 

Barras arose and stood with his hands folded 
submissively before his royal mistress. 

“ My errand, indeed, is one of life or death,” he 
answered meekly; “the life, my queen, of thy 
husband. King Artaxerxes Longimanus.” 

“What mean you.?” cried the queen, springing 
to her feet. “Is there a plot among the eunuchs 
to murder him, as his father, the great Xerxes, was 
murdered .? ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 65 

“ Nay, nay,” Barras answered hastily ; “ there is 
no danger to-night, lady queen. It will come to- 
morrow, and by the hand of his cup-bearer, Nehe 
the Jew. I was in attendance upon Lady Sarai 
to his apartments to-night, and overheard the plot. 
Lord Nehe would create dissensions here in the 
kingdom, and then flee back to his own country 
and establish him there as king.” 

“ Nehe, the king’s favorite, and Sarai, my most 
trusted attendant ! ” exclaimed the queen, white 
with horror. “ Send for her instantly.” 

The kneeling girl sprang to her feet and quitted 
the room. A moment later she returned, followed 
by Sarai and Lydia. 

“Now,” said the queen, turning to the eunuch, 
“tell again the story you have just begun.” 

The eunuch’s cruel eyes fell before the frightened, 
searching gaze that Lady Sarai bent on him, but 
he began his tale glibly enough : — 

“ I attended, this evening, my Lady Sarai to the 
apartments of her son, the Lord Nehe, cup-bearer 
to our gracious king. She went there to meet a 
son who had just come from Jerusalem, and who 
detailed to her and my Lord Nehe a plot to rebuild 
the walls of the city and establish the cup-bearer 
as ruler. Knowing King Artaxerxes would never 


66 


NEHE. 


give his consent to have his favorite leave him, they 
spoke in low tones of some plan to rid themselves 
of the king. I could not catch their words, but 
several times I saw them glance toward the king’s 
cup, and as we were leaving, my brother, who 
attends Lord Nehe, whispered to me: — 

“ ‘ Warn the queen ! The cup is poisoned, and 
Nehe attends the king to-morrow ! ’ 

“ ‘ Are you sure ? ’ I asked. 

‘“Quite sure,’ he answered. ‘If the queen would 
have proof, let her send hither and examine the 
cup.’ 

“ And now, lady queen, let a messenger be sent 
for the king’s physician, and let the cup be exam- 
ined.” 

“ It is well said,” answered the queen. “ Barras, 
do you go at once for the king’s physician, and 
the cup shall be sent for as well.” 

“ But to obtain that,” Eros said, respectfully 
interrupting, “a permit must be had from the king 
himself, and the chamberlain will have to get that 
for me.” 

“Let Barras then go for the physician,” the 
queen said eagerly, “ and go yourself to the 
chamberlain. The matter must be investigated 
quietly and quickly. Say no more than need be 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 67 

to the king to-night. Nehe was my playfellow 
when I was a child, and he has rendered me many 
a service since he has been cup-bearer. I would 
not see him lose his life to-night, if this charge be 
not true, but alas ! I greatly fear it is.” 

Barras in the meantime, his face lighted with an 
evil smile, departed on his errand, while the Lady 
Sarai sank, half fainting, to the floor. She knew 
how lightly the king and queen held the lives of 
their subjects, that even a suspicion was enough 
to send a man to the torture chamber; and she 
realized, if poison were found in the cup, that her 
son would be allowed no defence. Then she re- 
called the events of the evening. She remembered 
Nehe’s expressed fear of Barras, and a thrill 
of terror ran through her as she thought of the 
missing cup, and how it had been found by the 
eunuch. 

Alas ! ” she sobbed to herself, ** he must have 
poisoned it then. Oh, Nehe ! my son, my son ! ” 

The voice of the queen aroused her, its usually 
kind notes made cold and bitter by the deadly 
suspicion that had entered Damaspia’s heart. 

“ Is it true,” she was saying, “ you spent this 
evening in your son’s room, discussing a plan to 
rebuild Jerusalem?” 


68 


NEHE. 


“ It is true, O my queen,” Sarai answered, lifting 
her white face hopelessly. “True, we discussed 
a plan to rebuild Jerusalem, but with the king’s 
consent.” 

“ Damaspia, my queen ! ” suddenly cried Lydia, 
throwing herself on her knees beside the Lady 
Sarai, “you may send me to the torture-chamber 
if it be your wish, but I will tell the truth. I was 
with my lady, and heard the words that Lord 
Nehe spoke of his own city, and of King Arta- 
xerxes, and they were words of kindness, O my 
queen ! They were not words of treachery and 
death.” 

“Hush, maid!” the queen said sternly. “This 
is no question for you to discuss. We shall know 
when the cup comes if it be poisoned or not. 
Here is my messenger now.” 

As she said this, Barras entered, and, prostrat- 
ing himself, told her that the king’s physician was 
not in his room, and his servants knew not where 
he was, but he would return in an hour, and when 
he came, he would be instantly brought to the 
queen. 

“Only an hour!” the Lady Sarai repeated to 
herself, and a wild thought ran through her head 
of sending a warning to her son; but it was in- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 69 


stantly dismissed. Every motion she made was 
now watched by a hundred eager eyes, and already 
her attitude of utter dejection was commented on. 
As she thought of this she sprang to her feet. 

‘‘Queen Damaspia,” she cried, “Nehe is inno- 
cent ! Barras has poisoned the cup ! But God, 
the God of the Israelites, will save my son ! He 
is innocent ! Human aid I may not give him, but 
to my God I will pray.” 

Then, kneeling down on the marble floor, she 
turned her face toward Jerusalem, and betook her- 
self to prayer, while Lydia’s uplifted face and 
folded hands showed that she, too, joined in her 
mistress’s petition. 


70 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER VI. 

S CARCELY had the curtains of Nehe’s apartment 
been drawn behind the Lady Sarai and her 
attendants, when Hanani stooped to pick up little 
Bani, saying as he did so : — 

It is time this small fellow was at rest. He has 
had a hard day.” 

As he raised the child in his arms, he saw he was 
deadly pale, and his face was drawn with a look of 
terrible pain. 

“ Bani sick,” the child said. “ Ze nasty stuff in ze 
pitty cup made Bani sick,” he explained. 

' Nehe uttered an exclamation of horror. 

What do you mean ? ” he cried. “ Oh, Hanani, I 
fear the child is poisoned.” 

“ Ze naughty cup, ze cup,” the child reiterated, 
and then his blue eyes closed and he sank uncon- 
scious into the arms of his father. 

“ He is dead,” Hanani cried ; “ oh, Nehe, the child 
is dead ! ” 

“No, no, my brother,” Nehe answered; “not as 
yet.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 71 


Then, turning to one of the many attendants who 
were crowding around, he cried : — 

“ Run, Adna, run, give this seal to Ramon, the 
physician of the king, and bring him here at once.” 

In a very few minutes the curtains were again 
drawn aside, and the great Ramon hurried in. 

“ I met your messenger in the hall,” he said, “ and 
hastened here, my lord, at your bidding.” 

In a moment more he was bending over the dying 
Bani. 

**The child has been poisoned,” Ramon said at last, 
looking up from Bani into the anxious faces bending 
over him. Have you any idea what did it ? ” 

“ None,” replied Nehe. “ He said ‘ ze pretty cup * 
made him sick, but we do not know what cup.” 

“ Pretty cup,” repeated Ramon, the physician, 
glancing around the room. Nehe’s eyes followed 
his. Suddenly they rested on the king’s golden cup. 

Arbaces,” he cried, “ has Bani touched the cup } ” 

“ My lord,” answered the frightened soldier, fling- 
ing himself at Nehe’s feet, “alas! after Barras set 
the cup on the table,'^ Bani stood by it. One hand 
held yours as you talked with the Lady Sarai, and 
the other — ” 

“ The other .^” Nehe questioned sternly, as Arbaces 
paused. 


NEHE. 


12 

‘‘ With the other,” the soldier faltered, ‘‘ the child 
touched the inside of the cup, and then I saw him 
put his finger in his mouth and suck his finger, as if 
it were something he liked. Barras the eunuch saw 
it, too, and he plucked the child’s arm from the back, 
but oh, my lord, I dreamed of no harm to the cup 
or the child, and I liked not to disturb your conver- 
sation.” 

Nehe’s face fairly blazed in his horror and 
indignation. 

“ The cup has been poisoned ! ” he cried. “ Barras 
did it while we were searching for it. Here, O 
Ramon, see if you can find the species of poison it 
contains ! ” 

The physician laid Bani in his father’s arms and 
took the cup, while all the group gathered around 
him, peering anxiously into its shining depth. 

“ Do you clean the king’s cup with oil, my Lord 
Nehe } ” he asked at length. 

“With oil, my Lord Ramon.?” Nehe faltered. 
“No, no; with water; only the purest water, such 
as is brought for the king’s own use in silver flagons 
from the clear stream of the Choaspes.” 

“ And yet,” said the physician, drawing the end of 
the fine linen scarf that encircled his waist carefully 
over the inner surface of the cup, “ and yet here is 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 73 


oil ! Poisoned oil has been carefully rubbed on it, 
and the child has received part of the dose intended 
for the king. It is the poison well known to all the 
eunuchs of the palace. More than once have I met it ; 
mostly in the mouths of dead men,” he added grimly. 

“ And he will die ! ” cried Hanani, in an agonized 
tone, gazing into the pallid face of his boy. 

“ No,” answered the physician. “ Poisons have 
antidotes. The quantity he received was very small. 
We will give him this, and he will soon revive.” 

So saying, he took a small alabaster box from a 
slave who attended him, and poured a few drops of 
the brown liquid it contained down the throat of the 
unconscious child. 

“There,” he exclaimed, a few minutes later, as 
Bani sighed deeply and then opened his blue eyes, 
“had the physician of the great Darius known of 
this powerful elixir, Darius had not died. And you, 
my fine fellow, will live to give your father many 
another anxious moment, I dare say.” 

Nehe clasped Hanani’s hand in an ecstasy of 
happiness. 

“ Rejoice, my brother,” he cried. “ Bani is saved, 
thanks to the good physician.” And both brothers 
turned to Ramon and poured out their heartfelt 
gratitude. 


74 


NEHE. 


The physician listened to them a moment in 
silence, and then he said : — 

“ My Lord Nehe, suspicion is a terrible thing. 
He who put poison in yon cup will not wait long 
to damage you.” 

Nehe started, and then seized the vessel. 

“ Run,” he said, turning to one of the slaves ; 
“fetch me hot water and linen cloths. All trace 
of the poison must be removed at once ! And listen, 
as you value your lives ! Mention not to any one 
what has happened here this night.” 

The slave soon returned with hot water and 
cloths, and Ramon added something to the water, 
with which Nehe immediately scoured the cup, re- 
lating to the physician as he did so his suspicion 
of Barras, and the cause of it. 

At last the cup was cleansed to the satisfaction 
of Nehe, and of the physician, and, after seeing it 
restored to its place, Ramon moved toward the door. 
Just as he was about to pass through, his unshod 
foot trod upon a small object. Stooping, he picked 
up a tiny silver stopper. He held it carefully to 
the light and then smelled it. 

“ Ah,” he said, “ here is the top of the bottle that 
contained the poison. I wonder where the rest 
is.” And he began looking about him on the floor. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 75 


Nehe went forward and joined in the search, but 
no flagon could be found. 

They were interrupted by the doorkeeper, who 
announced : — 

“A messenger from Queen Damaspia.” 

And Eros, chief of the eunuchs, with two of the 
palace guards, stepped into the room. He bowed 
low before Nehe, and, handing him a seal ring, 
said : — 

“ Queen Damaspia commands my Lord Nehe to 
send immediately to her the king’s cup.” 

Nehe turned pale, but, pointing to the cup, he 
said : — 

“ There it stands, Eros ! I trust it to your in- 
tegrity. Guard it as your life, and deliver it to 
the queen untouched by any hand save yours.” 

“I will keep it with the utmost care, my Lord 
Nehe,” Eros answered. “ I have not forgotten the 
kindness your mother once showed me when I lay 
sick of a fever.” And, taking up the cup, he left 
the apartment. 

When Eros was gone, Nehe dismissed all his 
attendants and paced the room with an anxious 
countenance. 

“ My life i? in great danger this night, Hanani,” 
he said. “ One of two things only can save me : 


76 


NEHE. 


either that no charge be made against me, or that 
the one who poisoned the cup be discovered. I 
know it was Barras, but I cannot prove it.” 

“ Surely,” Hanani answered, the king would not 
take your life on a mere suspicion. You can prove 
your innocence to any judge.” 

Nehe smiled a sad smile. 

“No chance will be given to me. Yonder in 
the queen’s apartments we know that a charge is 
made. If the queen deems me guilty, she will tell 
the king, and by morning I shall be buried alive 
or stoned to death by the wayside.” 

“ Oh, my brother, my brother ! ” Hanani exclaimed, 
“ can such injustice be ? Let me hasten to the king 
and plead for you.” 

“ It is useless,” Nehe answered. “ You could not 
see him.” 

“But have you no friend who would take him a 
message ? ” 

“ And meet almost certain death for so doing } ” 
Nehe replied despondently. “ No, Hanani, there is 
no appeal from the sentence of the king, npr any 
hope of mercy. Often, indeed, men are put to death 
who know not their offence. How can I hope for 
mercy from one who sentenced his own brother un- 
heard .? ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 77 


“Did Artaxerxes do that? It is too horrible to 
be true.” 

“It is true,” Nehe answered. “All the court 
knew at the time that the mighty Xerxes was 
killed by Artebanus and a eunuch. But Artaxerxes 
believed the story they told him that Darius did 
it, and so he had him assassinated.” 

“Did the king ever learn the truth?” 

“Yes, to his great sorrow; but not until the trai- 
tor Artebanus had tried to murder him in his own 
bedchamber. Then Artaxerxes realized how unjust 
he had been to his brother, and his grief was ter- 
rible. It is for the murdered prince that the heir 
apparent is named Darius.” 

“ But it seems too dreadful to be borne,” Hanani 
cried, springing to his feet and pacing the apart- 
ment. “Are we to do nothing — nothing! — to save 
your life? Oh, Nehe, this is no place for a Hebrew! 
Better the unwalled city of Jerusalem, where a man 
may at least fight for himself, than the gilded splen- 
dor of a court where a man’s life lies in the care- 
less grasp of a cruel and irresponsible monarch.” 

“Perhaps,” Nehe answered reverently; “but if 
human aid cannot reach me — the God of the He- 
brews has done wonderful things in this land to 
save His faithful servants when danger threateued., 


78 


NEHE. 


Our nation He may have deserted, but He did not 
desert those who trusted Him. Many a time when 
I have been attending the king in Babylon have I 
looked down into the den of lions where Daniel 
was thrown. And have you not heard of the three 
youths in the king’s school who were cast into the 
furnace of fire, yet God saved them.? My father 
used to show me the glittering image that they 
refused to worship, and he prayed God to give me 
strength to do as they did, should I ever need it.” 

“ But,” said Hanani, sadly, “ you are only a court- 
ier in the palace of a worshipper of Ormazd. Why 
should our God send His angels to save you this 
night, Nehemiah .? ” 

“ Because,” exclaimed Nehe, springing to his feet 
also, and raising his hand reverently, “if the God 
of the Hebrews saves my life this night, I will 
devote it to His service, instead of to that of King 
Longimanus. If I be saved, forty days will I 
spend in fasting and prayer. Then I will ask of 
the king that I may go to the help of my people, 
and God Himself shall put words into my mouth 
that my request be not refused. All that I am, all 
that I have, I give my God this night.” 

“ And your prayer shall be heard,” cried Hanani ; 
“ surely, surely, your prayer shall be heard ! ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 79 


CHAPTER VII. 

F or an hour Lady Sarai and Lydia knelt silent 
and motionless in prayer, while the queen and 
her attendants discussed in eager and excited tones 
the story the eunuch had told them. 

The queen was becoming very restless and impa- 
tient, when the tramp of swift feet was heard, and 
Sarai, looking up from her devotions, saw Eros enter, 
bearing the king’s cup on its golden salver. 

Barras stepped forward to give it to the queen. 
As he reached out his hand to take it, the Lady Sarai 
cried : — 

“ My queen, I pray you let no hand save yours 
touch the cup until the physician examines it.” 

“ Your request is granted,” the queen answered, 
“ and here comes Ramon at last. Sir,” she said, as 
the physician entered and prostrated himself before 
her, “ there is the king’s cup. Will you examine it 
and tell us if there is aught here to work harm to my 
lord .? ” 

The physician took the cup and regarded it closely. 


So 


NEHE. 


“ I see nothing here that can do harm,” he said 
presently, “but let your Majesty have it filled with 
wine, and I can better tell.” 

Wine was immediately poured into the cup, and 
then the physician, turning to Barras, said : — 

“ Drink, Barras, drink, and let me see its effect.” 

For answer, the eunuch fell at the queen’s feet in 
an agony of terror, beseeching her to spare his life. 

As he did so the Lady Sarai sprang forward and 
fell on her knees before the queen. 

“ Let me drink of the wine ! ” she cried eagerly ; 
“ I fear no cup my son sends here ! ” 

And, lifting it, she drank its contents. 

For a few minutes the eyes of all in the apartment 
were fixed on the Lady Sarai, and then, as no evil 
effects were observed, they turned on the eunuch, 
who crouched tremblingly on the ground. 

“ How dared you make so unfounded a charge 
against the king’s favorite ? ’’ demanded the queen, 
angrily, looking down on him. 

“ Because he intended to make it come true, your 
Majesty,” said the physician. “ Let the guard search 
him, and proof of his guilt may be found.” 

In an instant the hands of the queen’s guard were 
going through Barras’s garments. 

“ We find nothing on him,” said Eros, at last. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 8i 


“ Nothing ? ” repeated Ramon, looking scornfully 
at the eunuch. “ What is that tangled in the fringe 
of his sash ? ” 

Eros stooped and took up a small silver flagon 
that had evidently been secreted in the eunuch’s 
sleeve, and which he had vainly attempted to drop. 

“ I thought you would find something if you 
looked carefully,” Ramon said, examining the bot- 
tle. “ This flagon contained the poison that was 
put into the king’s cup to-night, and here,” he con- 
tinued, drawing the stopper from his tunic, “ is its 
lid. You dropped this, Barras, in your haste, when 
you broke the chain that held the lamp in place in 
my Lord Nehe’s room to-night. See, we will fit it 
on!” 

And Ramon screwed the stopper carefully in 
place. 

Exclamations of horror and astonishment broke 
from the little group as he did so, while the eunuch 
muttered : — 

“’Twas but a magic potion the priest gave me 
for a fever.” 

“Then drink it yourself,” said Ramon, holding 
the flagon close to his trembling lips. 

Barras took it and essayed to raise it to his 
mouth, and then, with a look of utter despair, sank 


82 


NEHE. 


grovelling at the queen’s feet. The physician turned 
to Damaspia. 

“ Does my lady queen wish more proof as to who 
was willing to risk poisoning the king himself, if 
he could but ruin his favorite ? ” 

“ No,” cried the queen, spurning the prostrate 
and trembling culprit with her foot. “ It is enough ! 
Die, and to-night ! Die, by that worst of all deaths ; 
die by the boat ! ” 

A scream of horrible fear rang through the room, 
and the two attendants stepped forward. They 
covered the eunuch’s face, raised him from the 
floor, and bore him away. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 83 


CHAPTER VIII. 

LL night long Nehe and Hanani knelt in 



J V prayer or talked in low, earnest tones. At 
last the gray light of dawn came peeping through 
the curtains that veiled the windows, and their 
suspense grew to agony. 

“ Let us go out upon the portico, Hanani,” Nehe 
said desperately. “This air stifles me. I cannot 
breathe. I would see the sun rise. If it be the 
last I shall ever see, I will enjoy it, for nowhere 
rises the sun more gloriously than here on the plains 
of Persia.” 

The two brothers stepped out upon the expansive 
porch, and for a moment almost forgot the horror 
that hung over them in watching the beautiful scene 
that unfolded before their eyes. Magnificent marble 
stairways, the beauty of whose architecture has 
never been surpassed, stretched down before them 
into the garden which nestled at their feet. 

Farther on rose the mighty walls of the citadel, 
and beyond them stretched the flower-bedecked 


84 


NEHE. 


prairies that ran off to the mountains towering in 
grandeur twenty-five miles away. 

On either side of the city ran the clear waters 
of the famed river Choaspes. In the gardens around 
the palace, palms and pomegranate trees lifted their 
graceful plumes in the air, and the song of a thou- 
sand birds was borne to them on a perfume-laden 
breeze. 

“ How sweet it is ! ” Hanani cried, turning to 
Nehe. “ It does not seem as if sorrow could come 
to us on such a day.” 

“And yet,” Nehe added, “it was on just such a 
morning as this that hundreds of Jewish captives, 
chained by their wrists, walked two and two down 
yonder road, sad-hearted prisoners, gracing the tri- 
umph of the great king Nebuchadnezzar.” 

“ I pray the God of our fathers,” said Hanani, 
“that never again will a captive Jewish nation be 
led through this valley, beautiful though it may 
be.” 

“ I join your prayer,” said Nehe, reverently. 

A slight sound attracted their attention, and, turn- 
ing, the brothers saw Adna, whose pale face and 
drawn look showed that he, too, had passed a night 
of terror. 

“ My lord,” he said, bowing respectfully, but with 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 85 

trembling lips, “ Eros, the queen’s eunuch, awaits 
you with a message from the king.” 

Nehe turned pale, and leaned for a moment 
against one of the massive marble pillars which 
supported the portico, and then, with a swift upward 
look, he said : — 

“ Let him come hither. I await his pleasure.” 

In a moment, Eros, bearing the tray whereon 
rested the king’s golden cup, approached Nehe. 

“ My lord,” he said, ” the queen Damaspia re- 
turns the cup, and the king commands your at- 
tendance in the audience hall this morning.” 

A look of infinite relief swept over Nehe’s face. 

Is all well, Eros ? ” he asked, his voice falter- 
ing. 

“ All is well, so far as I know,” replied the 
eunuch. “And the king further commands the 
presence of thy nephew, the child Bani. Since 
he has become the king’s eyes, the king would 
reward him this morning.” 

“ With what, Eros ? ” asked Nehe. 

“With a portion of the riches and honor that 
belonged to the dead eunuch, Barras.” 

“ Barras dead ! ” Nehe exclaimed. 

“ No,” answered Eros ; “ but he is dying by the 
boat, and the king, as is the custom, will distribute 


NEHE. 


S6 

his wealth among those who have served his Majesty 
best.” 

So saying, Eros bowed and departed. 

As the messenger withdrew, the brothers clasped 
each other’s hands. 

“ The Lord God be thanked ! ” Hanani cried ; 
and Nehe added : “ Thanks be to His name ! ” 

“Thanks indeed!” a sweet voice echoed, as the 
Lady Sarai stepped out on the porch, leaning on 
Lydia’s arm, and advanced rapidly toward them, 
her sweet face pale with its vigil of the night 
before, but bright with an unutterable look of love 
and happiness. 

“ Oh, my son,” she cried, taking Nehe in her 
arms, “ God be thanked you are safe ! Surely for 
some great work have you escaped the snare set 
for you.” 

“ For the salvation of many has he been saved, I 
think, mother,” Hanani interposed, tenderly kissing 
her. “ Oh I what a night of terror this has been I ” 

“ A terrible night, indeed,” Lady Sarai echoed ; 
“ but we will try to forget it now and make your 
first day with us a happy one.” 

“ But, mother,” protested Nehe, “ will you not 
tell us all that happened last night in the queen’s 
apartment .? ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 87 


“No, no; not now,” answered Lady Sarai, her 
beautiful face clouding and her eyes filling with 
tears. “ I cannot bear even to think of it yet. 
But if you would hear the story, I think Adna can 
give it to you.” 

And her smiling glance rested on the young 
armor-bearer, who was standing beside Lydia, and 
leaning on a crenellated parapet of the portico, gaz- 
ing into her face, while she related in low tones 
the scenes that took place in the queen’s chamber 
the night before. 

“This is to be a great fete day at court,” Nehe 
said, following his mother’s smiling glance, “and, 
as my small nephew has been summoned to an 
audience with the king, I must hasten to prepare 
him.” 

“What meant the eunuch by calling Bani ‘the 
king’s eyes’.?” Hanani asked anxiously. “There 
will no harm come to the child by this audience, 
will there, my brother ? ” 

“ None, I pray,” Nehe answered. “ To be the 
king’s eyes is merely this : Every Persian monarch 
has trusted and tried men whose sole business it 
is to go about among the people and see and hear 
what is going on, and report it to the king. To 
be the ‘king’s eyes’ is to occupy an important 


88 


NEHE. 


position. The king has intended a jest, and at 
the same time he would honor little Bani.” 

“ The queen told me that the king would see the 
darling to-day,” Lady Sarai said. “ Look, I have 
brought him a little silken robe and an embroidered 
scarf, and I will go myself and bathe and dress him, 
and teach him the prostration.” 

“ Oh, that reminds me, mother,” said Nehe, could 
you spare Lydia to take charge of Bani when his 
father joins the tribute procession ? It was to march 
to-day, but so many audiences are to be granted that 
I doubt if it will take place before to-morrow. Adna 
can guard them both, and they can stand on the large 
portico as the procession sweeps past.” 

“ Of course I can spare her,” Lady Sarai replied. 
“ Lydia, do you come now and help me to dress 
Bani ; and list, my maid ! When you are on the 
portico, as you value your life and love and honor, 
lift not your veil in the presence of the king.” 

Lydia turned startled eyes on her mistress as she 
bowed assent, and then followed Lady Sarai, as after 
a long, lingering embrace to each of her handsome 
sons, she hastened away, and they, too, entered the 
palace to eat a hasty breakfast and make a careful 
toilet before taking Bani to the king. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 89 


CHAPTER IX. 

A S the brothers ate their simple breakfast of 
pulse and fruit, Nehe explained to Hanani the 
programme of the day. 

‘‘Three audiences will be given by the king,” he 
said. “ The first is for the foreign ambassadors, and 
also for those who would make petititon of Artaxer- 
xes. This audience will be given in the great throne 
room, and those attending it will only see the king ; 
they are not expected to speak to him, save through 
heralds. When this audience is over, Artaxerxes 
receives his own kinsfolk and the princes of the Seven 
Families in his own room or in the throne room, just 
as he prefers. It is then he will see Bani.” 

“ Shall I be allowed to go in, also ? ” Hanani asked. 
“Yes ; the audience will be large, for all the Seven 
Nobles will give their opinion concerning the war in 
Egypt, and the amount that Greece ought to pay 
Persia as an indemnity for the part she has taken 
in it.” 

“Who are the Seven Nobles, Nehe Hanani asked. 


90 


NEHE. 


“ They are the heads of the seven privileged fami- 
lies of Persia,” Nehe explained. “When Cyrus, the 
founder of our great empire, died, he left two sons, 
Smerdis and Cambyses. To Cambyses was given the 
kingdom, but so tormented was he with jealousy of his 
younger brother, that he caused him to be secretly 
put to death. The fact was known to but few. Cam- 
byses then went on a campaign to Egypt, and re- 
mained away so long that he became very unpopular 
at home. This gave an opportunity to an impostor 
to impersonate the murdered Smerdis, which he did 
so successfully, being greatly aided by the Magian 
priests, that he was acknowledged by the Persians to 
be their ruler, and took possession of the capital. 
Cambyses was returning in triumph, when word was 
brought to him of what had happened. Over- 
whelmed with disgust and despair, he threw himself 
on his sword and died. This left the field clear to 
the impostor, and for a time he carried everything 
before him, the greatest harm to the Persians being 
his introduction of the impure religion of the Magi ; 
but he lived in constant fear of detection, and took 
such severe measures to prevent it, that he would not 
allow himself to be seen by any of his nobles, nor 
permit any of his wives to see any one from the 
outside world.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 91 

“ I thought that Persian kings never allowed their 
wives to see anybody from the outside world,” said 
Hanani. 

“Up to this time the king’s wives had been per- 
mitted to see their own relatives,” Nehe answered; 
“but this impostor ordered their entire seclusion. 
Notwithstanding all his precautions, or perhaps on 
account of them, first one and then another of the 
nobles suspected him. At last suspicion grew to 
certainty, and word was sent to Darius, a grandson 
of Cyrus, asking him to come and head a conspiracy 
against the wrongful holder of the crown. He came, 
raised an army, rushed into the palace, killed the 
impostor, and was made king. In recognition of 
their services, Darius made the seven nobles his coun- 
cil and elevated their families to the leading rank in 
the kingdom, making it a law that Persian monarch s 
must choose their wives from these families.” 

“This history is very interesting,” said Hanani, 
“ but you said there would be three audiences to-day ; 
is it at the third that I am to present the ass that I 
have brought for the king ? ” 

“Yes,” replied Nehe; “this is the time when all 
tribute is paid. The audience will be on the portico 
of the throne room. And now I will turn you over 
to Adna. He will furnish you with suitable apparel, 


92 


NEHE. 


and tell you what is expected of you. I will come 
back presently, and we will go to the audience to- 
gether.” 

A few minutes before the water clock marked the 
hour of nine, the two brothers, with Bani and their 
attendants, ascended the steps that led into that 
beautiful hall whose fame has come down the centu- 
ries, the audience hall of the magnificent palace that 
Darius built at Susa, and on which his grandson, 
Artaxerxes, had spent years of labor and a princely 
fortune, making it the largest and most magnificent 
hall in all the world. 

The sun, even at this early hour, would have been 
intensely hot, had not its heat been tempered by the 
cooling breezes that swept from the snow-covered 
mountains of Lusitan. As it was, it lit up the splen- 
dor of the magnificent portico one hundred and fifty 
feet long and thirty feet wide, on which the hall 
opened, and on the floor of which were seated groups 
of guards off duty, and those who were to have audi- 
ence with the king later. The brilliant red and black 
tiling of the porch formed a pleasing background for 
the light Oriental costumes of the waiting crowd, 
and Hanani noticed again with pleasure the respect- 
ful salutations and prostrations of those whom they 
passed. Crossing the portico, an attendant raised for 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 93 


them one of the curtains that separated the porch 
from the hall, and Hanani stopped for a moment to 
gaze with wonder on the marvellous colors of the 
drapery — purple and scarlet, yellow and blue. They 
were made of exquisitely embroidered silk strips, 
joined by rows of network, hanging from rods of 
gold set in sockets attached to the pillars. 

To keep them from swaying in the breeze, and so 
disclosing to the throng on the porch the mysterious 
beauty of the room within, a long, glittering fringe of 
golden flowers was attached to their lower edge. 
Beside each curtain stood a page dressed in blue, 
whose sole duty was to attend to his own curtain. 

As they entered, Hanani’s eyes were dazzled for a 
moment by the gorgeousness of the room, and his 
senses reeled as the strong, sweet odor of the per- 
fumes burning in a hundred silver censers greeted 
him. Then he recovered himself and stood gazing 
at the magnificent scene. Architect and sculptor, 
painter and workman, had here joined hands to make 
a room fit for a god ; for so the Persians held the man 
whose throne stood at the far end of those ranks 
of golden pillars which raised their heads seventy 
feet in the air, upholding a ceiling of blue and 
silver. 

A subdued radiance filled the room, and at first it 


94 


NEHE. 


seemed hard to separate the blue-tiled floor overlaid 
with lovely rugs, from the golden walls hung with 
gorgeous tapestries of silk and linen, and the shining 
roof above. 

Hanani had once stood on a mountain peak, while 
above and below him rolled the sunset clouds, aglow 
with light and life and color. He remembered the 
scene now, and it seemed as if he were again stand- 
ing there, so penetrating was the exquisite beauty of 
the room. He was recalled to himself by Nehe’s 
voice saying : — 

“Have a care for your feet, brother! This car- 
pet that leads so gracefully to yonder throne is 
meant for the king alone. A hundred eyes are 
watching you, and should your foot or Bani’s touch 
it, death would be your punishment.” 

“ It is a dangerous place for a child,” Hanani an- 
swered anxiously, and starting back from the edge 
of the carpet. “ Shall we not go hence ? ” 

“ It is dangerous for any one to come into the 
presence of a monarch,” Nehe whispered back. 
“Every one of these proud nobles knows that his 
body to-night may be hanging on a cross by the 
roadside, if he shall offend by word or look our gra- 
cious king. This fear is the price we all pay, my 
brother, for our high positions.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 95 


“Then let us hasten away,” Hanani protested, his 
fear for the child again rising. 

“ I must first teach him how to prostrate himself 
when the king summons him,” Nehe said. “ Sit on 
this couch, Hanani, while I do it, and look about 
you. The king will not be here for some time yet. 
I shall take you back to the porch before then.” 

As they talked, the little party moved nearer the 
throne, and Nehe seated his brother on a gorgeous 
couch inlaid with gold and ivory, and covered with 
a magnificent embroidered robe, while he took Bani 
to the steps that led up to the throne, and showed 
him how to bow so low that his forehead touched 
the floor. As he did so, Hanani studied the throne, 
which stood a few feet away. 

The throne itself was an elevated seat of gold, hav- 
ing a high back, but no arms, and cushioned with a 
purple velvet cushion embroidered with diamonds, 
pearls, and rubies. So high was the seat, a magnifi- 
cent golden stool was needed to support the mon- 
arch’s feet, and the whole rested on a carpet so 
lovely that it was itself worth a kingdom. 

The chair and stool rested on a marble slab of 
exquisite workmanship. The slab itself was upheld 
by the strong arms of fourteen figures, each of which 
represented a nation that had been conquered by the 


96 


NEHE. 


Persians. A sumptuous canopy of embroidered silk 
dropped its soft purple folds above the throne, and 
was upheld by pillars of gold encrusted with price- 
less jewels. 

The different attendants of the king were rapidly 
coming in and taking the positions assigned to them 
by the court chamberlain. Long rows of scarlet- 
kilted guards were being stationed around the room, 
and magnificently dressed nobles were beginning to 
place themselves before the throne. 

Arbaces stood just in front, holding the king’s 
cup, ready to give to Nehe when he finished Bani’s 
lesson. Near him was the king’s handkerchief- 
bearer and fly-chaser, whose business it was to keep 
flies away from the monarch. In his hand he car- 
ried a springy brush with a golden handle. The 
stool-carrier stood near him, and the bow-and-quiver- 
bearer was just behind. 

A band of musicians came swiftly in, took up a 
position in the hall opposite the throne, and began 
rapidly tuning their harps. Soldiers in steel armor, 
with glittering swords and long cruel bows, were 
scattered all over the apartment, and lords and 
attendants in waiting, clad in gorgeous purple and 
crimson embroidered robes, sweet with the scent of 
exquisite perfumes, moved noiselessly over the shin- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 97 

ing floor, or, forming little groups, talked in low 
tones with one another. 

Suddenly a long, clear trumpet call rang through 
the room, and Nehe turned and hurriedly approached 
Hanani. 

“ Come, brother,” he said, “ I will place you on 
the porch where you can see the audience of the 
ambassadors. After that is over, you are to follow 
Adna, who will bring you back, and you can watch 
the king receive Bani. Do just as the others do.” 

So saying, he led Hanani out to the portico. 
When they arrived there they saw that the porch 
was crowded with soldiers and attendants, who were 
rapidly placing the foreign ambassadors that were 
to be granted an audience. These ambassadors 
were a very mixed set of men. Some of them 
had spent weary months and encountered untold 
dangers, as they traversed mountain and desert and 
sea for this short interview with the Persian mon- 
arch. Stately Greeks from Attica, black men from 
mysterious Ethiopia, men from Hyrcania, Parthia, 
and Margiana, Scythians from the mountains of the 
north, — all were here, waiting for the awful mo- 
ment when they could see the face of him whose 
hand they long had felt. 

Hastily instructing Hanani where to kneel, Nehe 


98 


NEHE. 


withdrew, first stopping to give a farewell word of 
caution to Adna, whose handsome face wore a 
haughty smile, as he surveyed the mixed multitude 
around him. Scarcely had Nehe left, when another 
long trumpet call fell on the ear, and the whole 
multitude on the porch flung themselves prostrate 
on their faces before the long, glittering curtain 
that shut out the audience hall. 

And now a burst of wild but majestic music 
comes from the hall. Louder and louder it swells, 
as sackbut and psaltery, harp, horn, and symphonia 
join their notes together in praise of him who is 
taking his seat within. For a few moments the 
music swells and crashes around them, and then 
dies away in a long, soft wail, and perfect stillness 
falls on that prostrate multitude. Silent and mo- 
tionless they kneel, — as silent and motionless as 
the huge bulls* heads that gaze with stony eyes 
from the height of a hundred pillars on the scene 
below. 

Now a soft rustle is heard, and slowly, grace- 
fully, the silken curtains are being raised, and the 
hushed multitude look with straining eyes on the 
gorgeous scene disclosed to their wondering vision. 
At the far end of that wilderness of marble col- 
umns, still as though carved from stone, surrounded 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 99 

by nobles, eunuchs, soldiers, and attendants, sits 
the figure of a man, so resplendent in purple and 
gold and jewels, so magnificent in carriage, so huge 
in size, that the waiting suppliants are impelled to 
crouch still lower on the marble floor, and from 
henceforth they vow that they have seen a god. 

Another long, soft call from the trumpets, and 
a herald, dressed in a flowing robe of blue, comes 
swiftly forward from the motionless ranks around 
the throne, and, addressing the prostrate multitude, 
cries in a loud, clear voice : — 

“ Have any here requests to make of the King 
Artaxerxes Longimanus ^ Have any here complaint 
to urge ? ” 

A deep silence follows his words. Every one of 
the kneeling ambassadors has come with a mes- 
sage for that glittering figure that sits there in far- 
away splendor, but requests that seemed so urgent, 
and wrongs that seemed so grievous in distant 
homes, melt to insignificance now, and each waits 
for the other to speak. Again comes the herald’s 
demand, and then a tall and stately Greek, in his 
flowing robe of white, rises and stands with his 
hands folded meekly on his breast; but there is 
a ring of haughty defiance in his voice as he gives 
his message to the herald, 
a.ofc. 


lOO 


NEHE. 


“Water and earth Attica pays to the great King 
Artaxerxes; our continental cities should not longer 
give heavier tribute. I come to ask that what they 
now pay be somewhat remitted.” 

The herald bowed, and, holding his staff of office 
before him, walked swiftly back to the king. Soon 
he returned with the reply: — 

“ King Artaxerxes sends greeting to the Greeks : 
So long it is since the messenger left his home, 
perhaps he does not know that the Grecian ships 
that were sent to help Egypt have been captured 
and destroyed. Hence let him return with his 
request ungranted, and if he for a moment doubts 
the power of Persia to exact tribute, let him cast 
his eyes on the figures that uphold the king’s 
throne, and then he will understand.” 

The Greek looked at the fourteen statues, repre- 
senting the nations that Persia had conquered, and 
again fell prostrate in silence to the floor. Once 
more the herald’s voice rang clear and distinct, and 
a native Persian rose and stood as the Greek had 
done, with bowed head and folded hands. 

“What is it the suppliant wishes.!^” the herald 
asked. And with beating heart and downcast eyes, 
the man answered : — 

“May the king live forever, and know that his 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. loi 


servant owned, in the outskirts of the city, a little 
plot of ground next to the estate of his great lord, 
Arkano. I am, O king, a chariot-driver, and in 
the last great war with Egypt was away from my 
home a year. When I returned, I found that 
Arkano had given out that I was dead. He had 
seized my children, claiming I owed him a debt, 
and had sold them and my wife into slavery. 
Justice I ask, O king! Justice, on this my 
enemy ! ” 

The herald retired as before, and returned, say- 
ing : “ The king has ordered that the case be exam- 
ined into, and if it be as reported, let the noble 
Arkano give to the man a sufficient sum that he 
may purchase another wife.” 

The suppliant did not seem satisfied with the 
king’s decision, for, trembling violently, and bow- 
ing still lower, he murmured : — 

“Arkano did not rest, my lord, with taking my 
wife and children, but he seized the plot of ground 
wherein were the tombs of my ancestors, and 
added it to his pleasure garden.” 

The second appeal affected the king far more 
than the first, for the herald returned with the 
answer : — 

“The king has said: ‘If this be true, Arkano 


102 


NEHE. 


must be punished. It is easy enough for the liv- 
ing to care for themselves, but it is the duty of 
every brave man to care for the dead. Tell him 
to go, and if this charge be true, his own wife 
and children shall be returned to him, for if the 
crime of desecrating the abodes of the dead be 
continued, who knows how long the tombs of the 
kings themselves will be safe ! ’ ” 

The man bowed humbly, and with a glad look 
prostrated himself once more, while to Nehe, stand- 
ing near the throne, came a happy thought, and 
he whispered to himself : — 

“ I know how to make my plea ! I know how 
to reach the king’s heart ! ” 

A few other requests were made, and then the 
silken curtains were dropped and the audience was 


over. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 103 


CHAPTER X. 

I N a few minutes Nehe returned to the porch, 
and led Hanani into the audience hall. 

“ The king has gone to his own apartments,” 
he explained, “ but he will soon return. Stand 
here by this pillar, Hanani, and remember, my 
brother, that strange and possibly terrible things 
may take place before your eyes ; but whatever 
befalls, keep your tongue silent and your face 
smiling.” 

As he spoke, the sound of approaching music 
was heard, and in an instant every one in the 
vast audience hall, save the guards, fell prostrate 
on the floor. Hanani and Bani fell down with the 
rest, and as they lay there the music came nearer 
and nearer. Then was heard the tread of many 
feet. The harpers in the hall burst forth into a 
triumphant melody, and Hanani knew that the 
mighty King Artaxerxes Longimanus, ruler of 
Persia, was passing by. The music swept along, 
and then Hanani ventured, without raising himself 
from his prostrate position, to lift his head 


104 


NEHE. 


enough to observe what was going on around him. 
The harpers, still singing and playing, had taken 
up a position back of the throne, and on this the 
king had now seated himself. 

When Hanani had been on the porch, the dis- 
tance was too great for him to see the king dis- 
tinctly, but he now saw that the monarch was a 
very tall, handsome man, with long, graceful hands, 
whose size and strength had won for him the title 
Longimanus, or long-handed. His hair was curled 
in a hundred stiff and rather short curls, that hung 
down on his neck, and his long beard was ar- 
ranged in the same curious fashion. On his head 
was the high stiff hat of purple felt worn only 
by kings. His dress was a magnificent robe of 
purple silk, embroidered in gold, and confined at 
the waist by a broad gold belt. This robe opened 
over a tight-fitting tunic of purple and white silk, 
also exquisitely embroidered. He wore high, soft 
shoes, yellow in color, and fastened with buttons, 
each button a gem of great value. 

In his hand the king held a long golden sceptre ; 
and, as he sat resting its point on the velvet carpet in 
front of him, Hanani trembled as he remembered that 
if any one came toward him and it was not lifted, the 
unhappy man or woman would be hurried away to 



Nehe, advancingf, knelt at his feet, holdings up the golden cup 



A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 105 


instant death. So completely, so absolutely, did the 
ancient monarchs hold the lives of their subjects. 

Then his mind went back to his own country of 
Judea, and as he remembered how free and happy 
its people once were, how even the great King David 
himself could not condemn a man to death without 
just cause, he wondered why its people could ever 
have longed to be like the heathen nations. But he 
dismissed the thought as quickly as it came, and fixed 
his gaze on the wonderful scene before him. 

As the king sat down, his umbrella-bearer, holding 
a small umbrella of yellow silk, took up his station 
directly behind him. His fan-bearer, waving a huge 
fan of peacock feathers, stood beside him. Nehe, 
advancing, knelt at his feet, holding up the golden 
cup, now filled with delicious wine. His bow-bearer 
also drew near, and stationed himself directly behind 
the king. Every one in the hall save the officers 
still knelt, but at a signal from the king all now arose 
and stood with their hands folded on their breasts, 
in token of abject submission. The king’s piercing 
eye swept the room, and lighted on Bani, who stood 
with his hand clinging to Adna’s robe. 

As he saw him. King Artaxerxes turned to Nehe : 

“Tell me, my gallant cup-bearer,” he said, “is 
it to yonder child I owe the fact that I have a 


io6 


NEHE. 


cup-bearer this morning? For sure I think the 
trick of Barras the eunuch would have succeeded 
had not the boy tasted the cup.” 

“ He is my nephew,” Nehe answered, “ and the 
child who found the poison.” 

The king raised his glittering sceptre until its end 
pointed directly toward Bani. 

Bring him here,” he said. ‘‘We have a small 
present for him.” 

Adna led Bani forward, and he knelt before the 
king, as he had been taught, shaking back his long, 
fair curls and smiling up into the king’s face. 

“A goodly child,” said Artaxerxes, carelessly. 
“ Harbana,” turning to the nobleman who stood 
near, “give him of the treasure you found in Bar- 
ras’s treasure chest.” 

Harbana advanced, and poured into the robe of 
Bani a quantity of gold coins, beautiful gems en- 
graved in various designs, earrings, finger-rings, and 
jewels of every kind and size. 

“There, my small Eyes,” the king said, laughing, 
“now give place to my next petitioner.” 

Bani struggled to his feet, his lovely face beaming 
with delight over his lapful of pretty things, and 
holding tight to the edges of his robe, while Adna 
led him back to his father. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 107 


'‘He will make a fine fellow,” the king said 
admiringly, while he watched Bani’s sturdy little 
figure as he held up his treasures for Hanani to see. 
“Is he old enough to take from his mother } ” 

“ He is of the age at which Persian boys are taken 
from their mothers,” Nehe replied; “but, alas! this 
boy has no mother. His father is a native of Jeru- 
salem, and the Samaritan, Sanballat, has stolen his 
wife and holds her captive.” 

“ Is it so ? ” said the king ; “ then select another 
wife for him. A bevy of maidens of unusual loveli- 
ness have just been brought into the palace for me 
to select from for the royal harem. When I have 
finished choosing to-morrow, let your brother take 
from the remainder a wife for himself and a mother 
for the child, if he will.” 

Nehe bowed, and the king continued: — 

“ I know these maids are beautiful, though I some- 
times think that Harbana is losing his eye for beauty, 
when I see the ones he brings me.” 

The chamberlain turned pale at the jest of the 
king, who continued good-naturedly : — 

“ But these, I know, are lovely, for many of them 
come from the tribe of Paeonians. Heard you ever 
of them, my Nehe.?” 

“ I think not, my lord king.” 


io8 


NEHE. 


Artaxerxes laughed. 

“The story is an entertaining one. You shall 
hear it. Bring hither the scroll, Harbana.” 

The nobleman hastened away and soon returned 
with a cylinder of richly engraved silver. Opening 
it, he took out a scroll of papyrus, which he unrolled 
and then read aloud : — 

“ Chronicles of the Life of King Darius. Behold, 
as the king sat one day on his throne in a strange 
city, a woman of great stature passed him, arrayed 
in flowing garments of richest silk. Her long, brown 
hair fell like a veil around her radiant face. On her 
head she bore a pitcher. With her arm she led a 
horse, and with her hand she spun flax as she went. 
So intent was the maid, she did not even regard the 
king himself as she passed by. ‘ Follow the woman !’ 
commanded King Darius, ‘ for never saw I so indus- 
trious and beautiful a being before.’ The guard 
followed her, and behold, when she reached the 
river, first she watered her horse, then she filled 
her pitcher, and then returned, spinning her flax 
as she walked. When this matter was repeated to 
the king, he marvelled greatly and asked to what 
nation she belonged, and when they told him, ‘To 
the Pseonian.?’ he said. ‘Then let all the Paeonian 
nation be at once transported to Persia, for I would 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 109 


teach our women how they can be at the same time 
beautiful and industrious.’ So came the Paeonians 
into Asia.” 

“A goodly story,” smiled the king, as Harbana 
finished reading. “Your brother could not have a 
better choice of a maid for a wife.” 

Again Nehe bowed, but a bitter thought came into 
the listening Hanani’s mind : — 

“ If the king could dismiss so lightly the loss of 
my wife, Nehe was right that it would be useless to 
plead this as a reason for rebuilding the walls of 
Jerusalem.” 

A moment afterward, Hatach, the head of one of 
the seven privileged families, advanced to the throne, 
and began making arrangements for a lion hunt 
which was to take place next day. 

“ Thy last shot, Artaxerxes,” he said courteously, 
“where you killed the lion even as he sprang for- 
ward, was the most wonderful feat of archery ever 
done by Persian king ! ” 

“I can do as well again,” the king answered 
enthusiastically. “Harbana, give me my bow, and 
I will show you, Hatach, that I can shoot as well 
to-day.” 

His bow-bearer handed him his bow, and Arta- 
xerxes began looking for a target. As his eye 


no 


NEHE. 


glanced restlessly around the room, many a page in 
waiting trembled, for they well remembered that at 
his last trial of skill he had chosen the heart of one 
of their number as his target, and struck it so 
straight and true the boy had died without a 
struggle. 

Now, however, his glance left them and rested 
on little Bani, who was sitting with his back against 
a pillar, playing with the jewels the king had just 
given him. 

‘‘There,” he said, “I was just about as far from 
the lion as from yonder child. See, I will aim at 
his eyes. Give me my bow.” 

The bow-bearer stepped forward and handed 
Artaxerxes the bow and a long, sharp-pointed 
arrow. The king fitted the latter in place, and 
took long, careful aim at Bani’s eyes, but just as he 
drew the string the child turned his head, and the 
king’s aim was spoiled. 

Nehe had stood trembling with horror. The 
danger to Bani had come so suddenly that he was 
totally unprepared for it, and he had gazed on the 
king as if fascinated; but when the child moved, 
the spell that held his tongue was broken, and, bow- 
ing low, he said, smiling, but knowing the words 
might cost him his life: — 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. in 


“ My lord the king, it is easy to shoot a child’s big 
head, but see that glittering bauble in the boy’s hand ! 
Shoot that, and the story shall be told in every house 
in Susa to-night of the king’s wonderful aim. Bani,” 
Nehe cried, raising his strong, clear voice, “ Bani, 
lift up your right hand, child, and hold it steady ! ” 

The child looked at his uncle wonderingly, and 
then his little chubby fist lifted itself waveringly, as 
high as his heart, — as high as his head, — and then 
it paused. 

“ Higher, Bani,” Nehe cried, smiling, but with icy 
fear clutching him. Would the child lift it high 
enough to escape the arrow King Artaxerxes was 
so carefully fitting to his bow ? Yes, slowly the 
chubby, dimpled hand went up until it was quite 
over his head, holding the large jewel between baby 
fingers. 

Nehe shut his eyes. He could not watch the 
arrow speed to its place. He could only wait. 

A second later the twang of the string told him 
the king had shot, and then a burst of applause rang 
through the mighty hall. The king had knocked 
the jewel from Bani’s grasp, and was receiving the 
rapturous praise of his admiring subjects. 


II2 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XI. 

T hat evening Nehe and Hanani and the Lady 
Sarai walked together in the palace garden. 

“ It has been a fearful day,” Hanani said. “ Oh, 
Nehe, when I saw that arrow aimed at Bani’s eyes, 
I wonder that I did not die of the agony that 
clutched me.” 

“And yet great good has come from it,” the 
Lady Sarai answered. “ Our little Bani will be 
rich for life on the treasures the king gave him, 
and in his far-away Jerusalem home they will be a 
great blessing.” 

“ And I shall have to face that terrible king 
again to-morrow,” said Hanani. 

“ I thought that the presentation of tribute waf 
to be to-day,” added the Lady Sarai. 

“So it was to be,” Nehe answered, “but after 
the last audience, the king said he was tired, and 
therefore the tribute procession must be postponed 
until to-morrow. But do not fear, Hanani. Surely 
no harm can come to you in the procession.” 

*^I fear harm whenever I think of the king or 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 113 


his court,” Hanani declared. “ Nehe, will you not 
hasten your errand with the king?” 

“ Yes,” Nehe assented, “ and this morning a won- 
derful thought came to me. I dare not go to the 
king to plead the cause of my living kinsmen, but 
I will go to plead for the graves of my ancestors, 
now being destroyed by the treacherous Arabs.” 

“ The thought surely comes from God,” Hanani 
answered; “you remember how this morning the 
king instantly granted justice to the man whose 
ancestors’ graves had been disturbed.” 

“It was that which gave me the idea,” Nehe. 
replied. “ And now, rny mother, do you and Ha- 
nani pray and fast forty days. I, too, will pray and 
fast, and at the end of the forty days I will go up 
to the king and make petition of him that I may 
go to mine own city, to rebuild its walls, that the 
graves of my ancestors may remain undisturbed by 
its enemies. If the king sees fit to be angry with 
me, I can but perish.” 

“We will join you in the fasting and prayer, 
dear Nehe,” the Lady Sarai answered; “but you 
will not perish. Who among the Jews has ever 
undertaken the work of the Lord and failed ? He 
will strengthen and uphold you, and you shall find 
favor in the king’s eyes.” 


NEHE. 


114 

“ Bravely spoken, dear mother,” Hanani answered. 

I, too, believe as you do. God will not suffer a 
hair of his head to be touched, who is His own 
ambassador ! But it grieves me, mother, that you 
must so soon lose your two sons.” 

“ Lose them ? ” said the Lady Sarai, smiling ; “my 
son, you know not what you say ! I am not one 
to be left behind when my sons set out for mine 
own country. I have great wealth, too, as Nehe 
knows, and it shall be joined to his to help to 
restore the city of my fathers, our dearly beloved 
Jerusalem.” 

“ But will the queen permit you ? ” Nehe ques- 
tioned. 

“ I will tell her it is but for a time, and I think 
she will,” Sarai answered. 

“ And I, my lady } ” questioned a soft voice ; and 
Sarai, turning, saw her handmaiden, Lydia, kneeling 
beside her, with the privileged freedom of a Jew- 
ish girl. “ Shall I not go, too, my lady ? ” 

“You, girl } ” Sarai answered, her dark eyes look- 
ing sorrowfully into the pleading blue ones upraised 
to her own. “ It is not to your country I go nor 
to your nation. You are but a heathen girl and 
have no part among God’s chosen people.” 

“ No, no, my lady,” protested the kneeling maid ; 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 115 


“ I am not a heathen. Alas ! I know not my 
country nor my kinsfolk, for I was so young when 
old Zexa stole me from my parents that I remem- 
ber not their nation. But ever since I entered 
your service I have prayed to your God. Never 
once have I turned my face in worship to the 
eternal fires. Never have I bowed before great 
Ormazd, or the goddesses in the harem. But ever 
do I pray to the Lord God of Israel, save one 
short prayer which I do not understand. No, my 
lady, I am not as the heathen be.” 

And the maid raised her face, shining with girl- 
ish indignation, and looked at her mistress beseech- 
ingly. Lady Sarai turned an appealing look upon 
Nehe, and he said firmly but kindly: — 

“Lydia, why should you follow us to Jerusalem.? 
Know you not that no Jew may wed any save a 
woman of his own nation.? And,” here he paused 
a moment, and then added quietly, “Adna is a 
Jew.” 

A great wave of color swept over the girl’s 
face. Then she bowed herself more humbly still. 

“ Oh, my lord,” she said, and the words were 
spoken so low that Nehe was obliged to bend to 
catch them, “ I do not ask to marry him, my lord ; 
I only ask to love him.” 


ii6 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XII. 



ITH many admonitions and cautions, Hanani 


V V consigned Bani into Lydia’s care on the fol- 
lowing morning. 

“ Hold tight to Lydia’s hand, Bani,” he said, ‘‘ and 
io not laugh aloud or call to me, even when you see 
me go by in the great procession. Keep very quiet, 
and you shall have ever and ever so many grapes for 
your dinner.” 

“And honey ? ” questioned the child, anxiously. 

“Oh, yes,” laughed Nehe, who was waiting while 
his brother spoke these last words ; “ as much honey 
as all the bees in the king’s garden can steal from all 
the lilies to-day.” 

“ The bees do not steal,” said the child, decidedly. 
“ The lilies give it to the bees to make Bani’s teeth 
like them.” 

And he laughed so that every pearly tooth flashed 
out white from his pomegranate lips, like a Illy set in 
rosebuds. 


“I will be very careful of the child, my lord,’^ 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 117 

interposed Lydia, quietly, lowering her veil, as she 
took Bani’s hand to lead him away. 

“ I am sure you will, my girl,” Hanani answered 
heartily ; “ but the very thought of the king makes 
me shudder.” 

“Then don’t think of him, brother,” laughed Nehe. 
“ Come, we must go hence. Already the procession 
is forming, and soon I shall be needed. Take good 
care of them both, Adna, and don’t forget the boy in 
looking after the girl.” 

And Nehe walked off, smiling. 

Just as the young people were about to start, Bani 
discovered that he was hungry, and loudly demanded 
his milk and honey then and there. Lydia knew that 
all the processions in the world would be as nothing 
to a hungry boy ; so the bread and milk and honey 
were sent for, and Bani leisurely ate them. When he 
had finished, Adna hurried the little party out into 
the court, and then, seeing the crowd, exclaimed : — 

“ It is too bad, Lydia ! The king has already come 
out upon the portico of the throne room. We cannot 
go up the marble steps.” 

“ What shall we do, then ? ” the girl asked anx- 
iously. 

“ We can go up the private roadway that the king’s 
chariot uses. It winds around the walls to the top. 


NEHE. 


ii8 

But let us hurry ! The procession will surely start 
soon.” 

Hastening their footsteps, the party soon reached 
the portico and gazed upon the scene below. Lydia 
had been there before, but in spite of that she gave a 
little cry of delight, as Adna placed her against a pil- 
lar and told her to look around. 

In the centre of the portico itself stood a magnifi- 
cent high chair of gold, and on this sat the king, 
ablaze with jewels, and surrounded by his officers 
and guards. All the curtains of the throne room 
were raised, so that the magnificence of that apart- 
ment formed a gorgeous background for his royal 
person. Before him ran four flights of polished stone 
steps, leading to the court below. They were clear 
of visitors now, and the beauty of the gray stone 
steps, which were so wide that ten horsemen could 
ride abreast up their shining surface, reflected back 
the sculptured ranks of stone figures that seemed 
to be ascending their sides, all aglow with the 
brilliant colors of their living models which were now 
entering the court below. High above the portico 
towered golden pillars upholding the roof. Each end 
of the porch was guarded by gigantic stone bulls. 

As the king sat there, he looked down into the 
court over the tiled floor of which was already begin- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 119 


ning to move the long train of tribute-bearers, who 
had assembled in the plain without, their holiday 
dresses adding to the beauty of the already lovely 
scene. Stately buildings reared their proud heads all 
around the court, their airy pillars covered with deli- 
cate tracery and gleaming with decorations of bronze 
and gold and silver, shining through trees of every 
shade of green. Fountains splashed in gardens 
whose beds of many-hued flowers were so united by 
tiled walks of blue and pink, that from the portico 
they looked like huge bouquets tied together with 
bright ribbons. Everywhere the eye turned it was 
delighted with the wealth of lovely form and color, 
glowing in the clear air of that matchless climate. 
And the great king, looking down on it all, knew 
that nowhere else in the world could there be so mag- 
nificent a scene as this which lay before him. 

Lydia turned to Adna. ‘‘ How lovely it all is,” she 
said. “ See, the procession is starting, is it not ? 
Who leads the way ? ” 

Adna stooped and lifted little Bani in his arms, so 
that the child could see over the heads of the many 
inmates of the palace gathered on the portico, and 
then looked in the direction Lydia pointed. 

“ Yes, it is starting,” he answered, “ and, as usual, 
the king’s guard comes first.” 


120 


NEHE. 


As he spoke a blare of instruments struck their 
ears, and the head of the procession began making 
its way up the easy ascent of the first flight of stairs. 
The king’s guard, as the company of soldiers that 
led the way was called, was composed of spearmen 
and archers. The former were armed with spears 
and slings, and were men of very unusual height and 
strength. They carried large shields of polished 
brass engraved with a representation of the Susa- 
nian fortress. Back of them came the archers, who 
were not so large as the spearmen, but seemed to be 
more agile. Their graceful forms were the perfec- 
tion of muscular development. Their long, tight 
gowns were of purple linen, embroidered all over 
with golden pictures of the crenellated walls of Susa. 
Their hair was tightly curled, and so were their 
beards, and large quivers, elaborately ornamented, 
were strapped to their backs with cords of gold. 
Yellow shoes covered their feet, and they advanced 
swiftly, with the proud bearing of men who knew 
that they would win praise from the haughty eyes of 
the silent figure before whom they filed. 

After the king’s guard came the noblemen of the 
court, the kinsmen of the monarch, chamberlains and 
heads of departments, those who held the king dear- 
est, and who would most mourn his death. These 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. X2i 


were his living wall, without which he never went to 
battle. High, square tiaras crowned each proud 
head, and magnificent robes of silk, clustered with 
jewels and embroidery, decked their forms. Each 
carried in his hand a rose, to show that no tribute 
was exacted of him save that rendered by love. 

Sandwiched in between these nobles in their costly 
array were hardy mountaineers, clad in close-fitting 
tunics and baggy trousers of leather. They, too, 
carried no rich tribute, but only a flower to show 
that they, as well as the haughty noblemen beside 
whom they walked, were the king’s own free people. 

And now came the chamberlains of the king, each 
individual clad in his robe of state, and bearing no 
weapon save his staff of office, and leading by the 
hand a tribute-bearer. What a mixed multitude they 
made as they swept up those glistening stairs, past 
the king, and down the outside steps, in long, un- 
broken ranks ! Who can imagine this procession of 
tribute-bearers, bringing to this monarch whom they 
thought was half-god, half-man, the treasures of their 
countries } Here came a poor African, looking half- 
dazed as the gorgeous chamberlain led him along, 
his huge black frame clothed only in a cotton breech- 
cloth, and bearing in his arms a large tusk of ivory. 
Behind him walked the pearl-fishers, carrying earthen 


122 


NEHE. 


vessels filled with the purest pearls. From distant 
Greek cities in Asia came slender youths, their white 
costumes not more stainless than the exquisite vases 
of rarest marble they bore. Behind them walked 
the keen-eyed, black-haired sons of the desert, look- 
ing out from beneath their turbans in fierce disdain 
of all this pent-up splendor, leading softly stepping 
steeds whose pure blood for generations had been as 
carefully guarded as was that of the Achaemenidae 
themselves. Heavy-browed Egyptians carried costly 
vases filled with perfume so precious that each drop 
was worth a man’s ransom ; and rugged forms of 
mountaineers bowed beneath the weight of magnifi- 
cent leopard skins. Miners from distant Datum 
laden with balls of pure gold as large as their heads 
were followed by men bearing scales, so that the 
king might know the exact weight of the shining 
globes, should he be curious on that point. From 
Babylon came high-browed, straight-nosed, clean- 
limbed men, weighted with rolls of costly cotton 
fabrics, colored as only the Babylonians knew how to 
dye cotton goods. Chariots covered with expensive 
trappings of gold and silver embroidery were there, 
and close after them walked a dusky hunter who had 
killed a great tiger. He had thrown its tawny skin 
over himself for a covering, and his frightened face 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 123 


looked out appealingly to the king oddly enough 
from beneath the fierce head of the beast. This 
sight excited Bani’s wonder. He was quite close to 
Lydia as Adna held him, and he grasped her veil to 
attract her attention. 

“ Look, look, Lydia ! ” he exclaimed. “ See the man 
with two heads ! ” 

And he jerked the veil impatiently to make her 
turn more quickly. As the child did so, he loosened 
it, and the veil fell from the maiden’s head. 

“ Oh,” cried the girl, in dismay, turning laughing 
but half-frightened eyes to Adna, “what would my 
lady say if she saw me now ? ” 

“That you were never half so fair,” Adna whis- 
pered back ; “ but hasten, Lydia, to replace it.” 

The girl lifted her bare, snowy arms to do his 
bidding, just as Hanani, leading the white ass, came 
in sight. 

“ I see you, father ! ” shrieked Bani, fairly wild 
with excitement. “ See, see ! Here’s me ! ” 

The clear, childish voice floated over the heads of 
the crowd, and many an eye was turned to see from 
whence came the eager cry. The king had been 
sitting for some time listlessly watching the pro- 
cession, occasionally commenting to his cup-bearer 
on an unusually rich gift, but generally as silent and 


124 


NEHE. 


impassive as the earved figures on the sculptured 
stairway ; but at the cry of the child he turned his 
head, and his eye caught the eager face of Bani, 
framed in its bright ringlets. 

“Ah,” he said, “there is my Little Eyes, — a 
goodly child, a goodly child.” 

Then his glance fell on the upturned face of 
Lydia, as with trembling haste she strove to cover 
it with her long veil. Not quick enough were the 
kindly folds to shut out from the gaze of the mom 
arch that wealth of golden hair, falling like a 
shining veil around her, those eyes blue as the 
skies above them, those frightened, rose-red lips, 
— and the king’s face brightened as he caught that 
glimpse of girlish beauty. 

“ Nehe,” he said, as he pointed to Lydia, “ did 
I not say that Harbana does not know a beautiful 
maid when he sees one } Else why was not this 
girl included in those selected for the royal harem i 
See to it that she be sent in with the next who come.” 

Nehe bowed, smiling, but a faint, sick feeling 
filled him, and he thought : — 

“Poor little Lydia! Poor brave Adna! How 
soon their love dream must be shattered I And 
yet perhaps it were better so. Adna could not 
marry her. He must not. He is a Jew.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 125 

Already Nehe was troubled concerning the dis- 
position to be made of the girl if his mother 
should leave Susa. Now the question was settled. 
She would be in the harem of the king, — a living 
death to one of her loving nature, and yet what 
could avert her fate.? 

The tide of the procession swept on. Battle- 
axes from Greece, Persian carpets from the mon- 
arch’s own cities, strange wild animals for the 
king’s hunting grounds, costly garments, rare fruits 
and nuts for his table, and then a long, long train 
of captives chained two by two, walking with 
downcast eyes and folded hands. 

But Adna no longer saw the moving figures. 
His eyes alternately rested on the girlish form 
beside him and the calm, smiling face of his mas- 
ter, as he filled and held out again and again the 
shining cup to the king. 

“ What was it .? ” he repeated to himself, “ what 
was it the king said to Nehe as he looked so long 
on Lydia.?” 


126 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

N ight was softly failing over the city of 
Susa, and in the queen’s apartments of the 
harem, white-robed eunuchs moved quietly about, 
lighting a hundred lamps, whose soft radiance fled 
across the room, showing its wonderful ceiling of 
beams of cedar wood, overlaid with silver, and 
then, gliding down the walls, it brought out the 
glowing colors of the figures that marched in 
stately procession around them. It showed the 
heavily fringed curtains that draped the windows, 
and almost turned to life the forms of slaves 
carved on the heavy wooden doors. It lay on the 
blue-tiled floor, and the rugs there were changed 
from dark shadows to softest colors. But, fairest 
of all things the light showed in that apartment, 
furnished with statuary stolen from Greek temples, 
with magnificent Egyptian vases, with couches 
covered with robes heavy with embroidery, was the 
lovely Queen Damaspia herself. 

She was reclining on a low seat of ivory, beside 
a fountain of perfumed water, one dimpled arm 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 127 


stretched along its marble edge, while the other 
circled the head of a tiny fawn that was cuddled 
against her. Her gown was of that material made 
by the Egyptians, and so exquisitely fine the Per- 
sians called it woven air. It was embroidered with 
pink roses, and so thin was the material on which 
they were set, the queen as she lay there looked 
as if clothed in wreaths of living flowers. 

A beautiful girl stood behind the queen, fanning 
her with a large fan of peacock feathers. Other 
maids were looping back the heavy silk curtains 
that shut out the soft, balmy air, and others still 
were sprinkling flower petals over the rugs, sing- 
ing a soft song as they did so. 

Facing the queen sat an elderly woman, whose 
robe of heavy silk was so beautifully embroidered it 
seemed as if trying to draw and hold one’s eyes away 
from the face of the wearer. Such a cruel, wrinkled, 
wicked face it was, so plainly had sin and treachery 
and deception marked it. One was glad to turn from 
it to the pretty, laughing countenance of the queen 
opposite. 

The slaves had scarcely finished lighting the lamps, 
when the door opened and the king appeared, carry- 
ing in his hand not a sceptre of power, but that of 
love — a rose. Both women stood up as he entered, 


12 ^ 


NEHE. 


but he advanced to the elder first and gravely saluted 
her, and then turned to the queen. 

“Come, Damaspia,” he said; “see, I have here a 
rope of purest pearls, fit for thy fair neck, and a vase 
engraved from a single emerald by one of those 
wonderful Greeks. I am willing to risk them both 
on the throw of the dice. Now, what can you offer 
as your wager ^ ” 

The queen looked around the apartment. 

“ I will wager you yon fat eunuch,” she said. “No 
one in Persia can mix wine and honey and cool it as 
can he ; but you shall have him if your rope of pearls 
is as lovely as you say.” 

“ Bring hither the vase and pearls,” the king said, 
turning to one of the eunuchs who had entered with 
him ; and the man instantly handed to him a casket 
of richly engraved silver. “ There are the pearls,” 
the king added, as he opened it, “and here is the 
vase,” and he set a glittering jewel on the fountain’s 
rim beside Damaspia. 

The queen uttered a cry of delight and clapped 
her hands. 

“ How lovely they are ! See, mother,” she said, lift- 
ing the long string of shimmering pearls, and hold- 
ing them toward the woman who faced her. “ Saw 
you ever a more perfect rope ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. i^g 


“ Never, save this,” answered the old woman, touch- 
ing as she spoke a shining row of pearls that girdled 
her waist ; “ but I do not care to look at trinkets now. 
I am thinking and planning.” 

“ Of what are you thinking, mother queen ? ” the 
king asked pleasantly, and smiling at the delight of 
Damaspia over her pearls. 

“Of which is the worst punishment,” the queen 
mother answered, her deep-set eyes sparkling mali- 
ciously. “ Which would you rather, Damaspia, have 
your pretty ears and nose and mouth cut off and your 
tongue torn out, or be buried alive ? ” 

Damaspia gave a little cry, and shot a frightened 
glance at the king as she answered : — 

“ Oh, Queen Amestis, why think such thoughts 
to-night ? ” 

“ I was just remembering,” said the queen dowager. 
“ It was thus I served Inarus when she displeased 
me, and I wonder if it would not have punished her 
more had I buried her alive.” 

“ Come, come, mother ! ” cried the king, half 
angrily, “I will not have my dove frightened so 
to-night.” And he laid his jewelled hand protectingly 
on Damaspia. “ Have the dice brought out, my 
queen, and let us throw.” 

Two attendants quickly set forward a high table of 


130 


NEHE. 


cedar wood overlaid with gold and ivory, and placed 
beside it the tall chairs and stools that the king and 
queen used when playing, while another attendant 
produced the dice, and then the game began. Da- 
maspia threw first. 

“ Five and six,” she laughed. “ My lord, can you 
do better ? ” 

And she laid her hand on the silver casket that 
had been set beside her. As she did so, stealing in 
from the harem garden, came the low, sweet notes of 
a nightingale. 

“ Hush,” said the king, and turned to listen, for 
the bird’s song was one of unusual beauty. Then, 
as the music died softly away, a human voice took up 
the strains the bird had sung, thrilling and trilling 
them over and over, at first soft and low, then louder 
and clearer, until at last the liquid notes crystallized 
into words, and the bird, catching the song, joined 
its voice to the maid’s, and girl and bird sang 
together. The king listened as if entranced. His 
handsome features softened under the spell of the 
music, and a look of tender longing grew in his 
haughty black eyes. 

How beautiful the words were the maiden was 
singing ! Clear and true they came floating through 
the silken draperies, and every syllable sank into the 
king’s heart with a sweet pain : — 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 13 1 


" *■ Behold, thou art fair, my love ! 

Behold, thou art fair ! 

Thou hast dove’s eyes, my love ; 

Thou hast dove’s eyes.’” 

The singer was singing the words of that match- 
less love song written by the wisest man that ever 
lived, as he painted the pure affection of one man 
for one woman, in colors that can never die. The 
singer had heard the song sung by some captive 
Hebrew girls, and, catching the words, she clothed 
them in all the beauty of her sweet, rich, tender 
young voice, and was pouring them forth in the harem 
garden, little dreaming who was listening, or the 
terrible harm they would do her. Even the queen 
stopped toying with her rope of pearls, and held her 
jewelled hand suspended, as the pulsing music flowed 
through the chamber. 

“ ^ Set me as a seal upon thy heart, beloved,’ ” 
ran the words, 

“ ‘ as a seal upon thine arm.’ ” 

The king glanced at Damaspia. He had been 
true to her beyond all precedent. She alone could 
claim the honor of being his wife, but did she love 
him for all the wealth and tenderness he had lavished 
upon her .5^ He turned and gazed searchingly into 
the bright eyes of the w^oman opposite, but no 


132 


NEHE. 


answering love-light met the tender longing of his 
own, and he realized, with a bitterness he had never 
known before, that the feeling which was being 
lauded out there in the garden had never been given 
to him. Gently, pleadingly, came the words as the 
singer sang : — 

“ ^ For love is strong as death.’ ” 

And then the sweet voice grew exultant as it burst 
forth in an ecstasy of triumphant song : — 

“ ‘ Many waters cannot quench it. 

Neither can the floods drown it.’ ” 

The music stopped abruptly, and the monarch 
stirred uneasily, and then turned and looked through 
the open draperies as if he would catch a glimpse 
of the unseen singer. A strong determination was 
growing in his heart. He, too, would know and feel 
this wonderful love, and yet he felt dimly that this 
was a gift which must be given, and that all his 
wealth was helpless to purchase it. And who among 
all the beauties that smiled around him could give 
him the treasure of a woman’s strong, true love.? 
Instinctively he felt that it must come from a sweet, 
pure soul, and, alas ! it were useless to look for such 
here, among these heathen women whose very wor- 
ship was too often a defilement. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 133 

But surely the singer who had been singing so 
entrancingly of love could feel it. Her woman’s heart 
must hold the treasure he was seeking, and he would 
win and hold it as his choicest possession. This love 
should be his, dearer than life itself, — this love that 
waters could not quench, that floods could not drown. 

Never had Artaxerxes looked more manly than 
when, filled with the sudden resolve, he turned to 
Damaspia and said : — 

“ Who is yon singer, O queen } Among all thy 
singing maids, methinks I never heard so sweet a 
voice. Is she an inmate of the harem } ” 

“ No,” answered the queen. “ The singer is but 
the handmaid of the Lady Sarai. She has owned her 
from a child, though it is but of late that she has 
sung such songs as this. Sarai keeps her close in 
her own apartment. Her name is Lydia.” 

“Is she not a Jew.?” the monarch asked, and in 
his heart he hoped the answer would be yes, for he 
had heard strange stories told of the beauty and con- 
stancy of the Jewish women, and he knew that in 
his father’s time Queen Esther, the Jewess, was 
esteemed above all other women because of her love 
and courage. His face fell at Queen Damaspia’s 
reply : — 

“No; I think she is of no kin to Sarai — only a 


134 


NEHE. 


girl she bought for a handmaiden. But shall we not 
return to our game ? I fancy you are afraid to cast 
your dice, now you have seen my high count. It was 
five and six, remember.” 

The king put out his hand mechanically for the 
dice and threw them. 

“ Four and two,” laughed Damaspia. “Give me my 
rope of pearls, my lord. See, is it not lovely.?” And 
she flung the milky string of gems over her head. 

“Very beautiful,” the king answered, smiling at 
her, “ yet the pearls are not so white as the fair neck 
beneath. But I am weary to-night. We will play 
again to-morrow.” 

He pushed the high table back and arose. As he 
did so, the old queen leaned forward, stretching out 
a jewelled, bony hand to detain him. 

“ Son Artaxerxes,” she said, “ I will play you a 
game, and your stake shall be twelve goodly youths, 
and mine shall be the singer you have heard in the 
garden to-night. Will you throw the dice with me .? ” 

“Yes, yes,” answered Artaxerxes, and turning to 
an attendant, he ordered : “ Place my chair and a 
table. I will try my luck again.” 

“ The fair singer interests you more than the fat 
eunuch, my lord,” Damaspia pouted. “ Let us see 
how the dice will treat you.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 135 


The king threw first. 

“Three and two,” he said discontentedly. “You 
have won also, I fancy, mother. I fear the god is 
against me to-night.” 

The old queen apparently did not hear him. She 
was busily unravelling a long, vivid-colored thread 
from the fringe of her cloak. Then she turned to a 
eunuch. 

“ Hold the silver lamp,” she said. “ I would 
invoke the god.” 

The man hastily caught up the silver hand-lamp 
that stood on a table near by, and the queen cast the 
thread into the flame, muttering as she did so : — 

‘ Like this dyed thread, which is torn and cast into the fire, 

The burning flame shall consume the disease which exists in my 
muscles. 

Like this dyed thread may it be torn, 

And on this day may the burning flame consume it.’ ” 

“ To whom do you pray, mother ? ” asked the king. 

The queen drew a curiously engraved gem from 
her bosom and held it out to him. 

“To the god of the underground regions, Pluto,” 
she replied. “ I learned his worship when I went 
with Xerxes on his expedition against the Greeks. 
Ah, I was young then, but well I remember that 
wondrous journey.” 


136 


NEHE. 


“ I like not the worship of these strange gods, 
mother,” the king answered. “ Ormazd is the great 
god. Our fathers worshipped him ; so should we.” 

The queen laughed a malicious little laugh. 

“ Heard you never the tale of Xerxes at the River 
Nine Ways ? Nine were the maidens very beautiful, 
nine were the youths handsome and sturdy, that he 
buried alive there to propitiate the god. And,” she 
added, scowling darkly, “ I would do the same.” 

“ Nay, nay, mother ! Let us have no such rites 
at the Persian court. Come, throw me the dice ! 
I have but five.” 

The queen’s jewelled hand poised in the air. 

“ If I win,” she said insistently, twelve youths 
will I offer to the god of the underground regions. 
Perhaps he will add all the unlived years of their 
lives to mine. So shall I live to see thy son and thy 
son’s son on the throne of Persia.” And she threw 
the dice. 

With a gesture of haughty displeasure Artaxerxes 
leaned forward to count, and the heart of every 
maiden in the room beat more freely as he an- 
nounced : — 

“One and two. The god is with me. I have 
saved nine maidens, mother, and won the singer ! ” 

Then, hastily rising, he quitted the apartment. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 137 


CHAPTER XIV. 

T he clepsydra marked the hour of eleven, and 
Lady Sarai, having finished her attendance 
upon the queen, was in her own room preparing for 
repose. She was seated on a high chair. Before 
her knelt a slave girl holding up a silver basin of 
perfumed water, while behind her stood Lydia, 
brushing her still long and abundant hair. The 
maiden’s tongue ran gayly as she related the scenes 
of the morning, and both were laughing over the 
tale, when Eros, the chief eunuch, hastily entered 
the room, saying : — 

“ My lady, Harbana, the chamberlain of the court, 
is without, commanding the instant attendance of 
your handmaiden Lydia on the king.” 

A chill of deadly fear fell on the maiden. She 
shrank nearer her mistress and dropped on her 
knees beside her, catching hold of Sarai’s robe, and 
turning her white flower-face to the eunuch in des- 
perate appeal. 


NEHE. 


138 

“ Oh, Eros ! ” she cried, “ surely your ears heard 
not aright. It was not I he asked for. I do not 
belong to the harem. The king has never seen 
me.” 

“ Lydia,” interposed Sarai, laying her hand pro- 
tectingly on the girl’s upturned forehead, “ did not 
the king see your face when Bani pulled your veil 
away this morning ? ” 

Oh ! ” moaned the girl, “ I fear me he did ; and 
to-night I sang in the harem gardens, unknowing 
that he was within. But the queen had commanded 
my singing. I could not help it. I did but choose 
my song.” 

“ My lady,” Eros interposed coldly, the cham- 
berlain of the king awaits Lydia.” 

Sarai bent forward pityingly. 

“ Go, dear heart,” she said ; “ no human power can 
save you from the king ; but pray to that God whom 
you have learned to serve. He may hear even a 
heathen maiden’s prayer. I, too, will pray.” 

Lydia arose, and with trembling hands quickly 
adjusted her veil. 

“ I go, my lady,” she said, “ but never will I con- 
sent to enter the king’s harem — no, not if Arta- 
xerxes send me to death by his most terrible torture. 
Never, never, will I enter the king’s harem ! ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 139 


And with downcast eyes but a resolute step she 
followed Eros from the apartment. 

So great had been the heat of the day, it had pene- 
trated even to the darkened recesses of the palace, 
and the king had felt it and suffered. Remembering 
this, after leaving the queen, he stopped on the por- 
tico of his own private apartments. Here he sat, 
attended only by Nehe, Adna, and his armor-bearer. 
Under the quiet canopy of the stars, breathing the 
cool night breeze, and listening to the soft swish of 
the water that was throwing up silvery arms in the 
moonlight, against the brick walls of the fortress 
fifty feet below. Into this little group, Eros and 
Harbana ushered Lydia. Her graceful white-robed 
form came so quietly among them, it seemed as if 
she might have floated up from the mist of the river 
below. 

The king was seated, as usual, on a high chair, 
while around him stood the other men. His face 
wore a look of good-natured expectancy. Evidently 
he was about to bestow a boon, which would give as 
great pleasure to the recipient as to the giver. As 
Lydia advanced and knelt before him, he put out his 
hand to raise her. 

“Girl,” he asked, “are you she who sang so 
sweetly of love in yonder garden to-night.?” 


140 


NEHE. 


Lydia arose, trembling, but no answer came from 
her closed lips. Through her unlifted veil she looked 
at the group around the king. They were all smiling 
at her, but only the king spoke : — 

“Answer me, maid,” he said. “You little knew 
that your song to-night opened the gate to the king’s 
heart, and you entered in. There you may find such 
love as that of which you sang, for he stands ready 
to give it to you. Can you understand that, girl.? 
We saw your face, sweet as a blossom, this morning, 
and its loveliness lingered with us all the day. Reso- 
lute it is, too, as that of the angel Serosh. Raise 
your veil, my maid ! Let me again drink in your 
loveliness.” 

Lydia drew back her veil, and the king uttered an 
exclamation of surprise. 

“ Why are you so pale, child .? Where are all 
those roses fled .? And your eyes ! Banish that 
frightened look ! We are all friends here.” 

Lydia raised her beautiful eyes and glanced again 
at the group. The king looked at her, smiling still. 
And then she saw Nehe’s face, kindly compassion- 
ate, and then a wave of crimson swept over her as 
her eyes met Adna’s. He had stepped behind the 
king now, and had dropped the mask he wore when 
she had first appeared. All the gay brightness was 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 141 


gone from his face, and a look of terrible agony 
rested there instead. Then she turned once more to 
the king. 

“ O my lord ! ” she said, kneeling again, “ such 
honor cannot be for thy servant. To the queen 
alone belongs the king’s love. Let me, I pray, be 
but his handmaiden, singing such songs as I may 
for his pleasure.” 

The king looked slightly displeased. 

“ Nay, Lydia,” he said, “ Persian kings have 
many wives, an they will. You shall be mine — 
my wife — my best beloved, and” — he laid his 
hand caressingly on her arm — ‘*your beauty so 
charms me with its spell — I say to you what 
never Persian king has said to maid : — 

‘ Set me as a seal upon thy heart, beloved, as a seal upon thy 
arm.’” 

The voice of the king was soft and low as he 
bent forward, and his breath swept the girl’s cheek. 
As she felt it she sprang to her feet. 

** O my king ! ” she cried, wringing her hands, 
“ such love as you ask for was mine to bestow, 
but it is mine no longer. Lo, I have given it to 
another. The casket is empty! The jewel Is 
gone I ” 


142 


NEHE. 


Artaxerxes rose from his chair, and his angry 
glance swept the little group. 

“ Let me but find the thief ! ” he cried, “ and 
find him I will, and if he had ten thousand lives, 
they should not be enough to pay the debt he owes 
me ! But thou, girl, thou shalt not live to tantalize 
me with thy beauty and thy songs. Adna, Eros, 
throw her from the parapet ! ” 

“ I will not,” Adna murmured to Nehe, turning 
pale with horror, but with a terrible look of deter- 
mination on his face, and his hands sank by his 
sides. Lydia saw the look and action, and guessed 
his words. She knew it meant certain death to 
her lover as well as to herself if the king saw 
him. She must hold Artaxerxes’ attention. Turn- 
ing, she sprang lightly on the high parapet and 
faced the group. 

“Thou canst not find him who holds my love, 
O king ! ” she cried, “ for he knows not the jewel 
that is his.” 

Her white veil floated around her like a mist in 
the moonlight, but she had thrown it back from 
her face, and her lovely eyes looked straight into 
Adna’s as she stood poised there on the parapet’s 
edge. Then her clear voice rose in an ecstasy of 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 


143 


‘“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine,’ ” 
she sang; — 

“ ‘ Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown 
it.’ ” 

There was a flutter of white garments, a gleam 
of golden hair, and then, as they looked, the maid 
was gone, and the splash in the waters far below 
came faintly up to the group. 

“There,” said the king, discontentedly, “never saw 
I such a maid as this. If you can find her body, 
Nehe, let it be laid among my own women. I may, 
perhaps, meet her in the realms of the blessed. May 
Serosh guide her feet along the bridge of judgment.” 

“ Go, Adna, and search for her,” Nehe said, turn- 
ing a pitying glance on his armor-bearer; “and 
bury her as the king has said.” 

An instant later, a white-faced youth, with wide- 
open, horrified eyes, rushed down the palace stairs. 
Soon he was lifting from the water, in his strong, 
tender arms, a little limp body. Kissing the sight- 
less eyes, he murmured : — 

“Oh, Lydia, beloved, never will I lay you among the 
king’s women ! To-night you shall rest in my own 
mother’s bed, and to-morrow evening I will hide you 
in the kindly earth, beside my father’s kindred.” 

And he strode away in the darkness, tenderly 
carrying his lovely burden. 


144 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XV. 

D uring the forty days that followed the fete 
day Nehe had quietly sent Hanani with let- 
ters of introduction to all the Hebrews in the city 
and surrounding country, beseeching them to join 
him in fasting and prayer, that the Lord God would 
favor the petition he was about to make of the 
king. 

Thus it came to pass that every morning, noon, 
and night, prayers went up to heaven from the 
houses built of sun-dried bricks, as well as from 
the marble rooms of the king’s palace, that God 
would cause Nehe to find favor in the eyes of his 
indulgent but haughty and terrible master, and 
receive strength to present his petition that the 
Hebrews be allowed to rebuild the walls of Jeru- 
salem. 

In the meantime Hanani had been quietly making 
preparations for the journey, aided by the Hebrews 
without the palace, in order to avoid delay; for Nehe 
had shrewdly said that the sooner they started after 
obtaining permission to go, the easier it would be. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 145 


In Hanani’s visits among his people he was as- 
tonished to find so many of them in comfortable 
circumstances. He had expected to see nothing 
but wretchedness and misery as the lot of the cap- 
tives of Israel, but he found many of them wealthy, 
and some occupying positions of high honor. 

Nehe explained this by telling Hanani that the 
religion of the Persians at the time of Cyrus was a 
very pure one, and so like that of the Jews as to 
lead the king to order the rebuilding of the temple at 
Jerusalem. Darius, too, was in full sympathy with 
the Hebrew captives, and was always ready to ac- 
knowledge their God as his own. When he ordered 
large supplies to be given to the returning Hebrews 
for their temple, he explained this action by saying 
that when the sacred edifice should be finished, 
sacrifices would be offered therein to the God of 
heaven, and prayers would be made to the Lord, 
for the life of the king and of his sons. 

The Babylonian language, too, was so like that 
of the Jews that the latter easily learned it, and 
this had been a great advantage to them. When 
a Persian found himself the owner of an intelligent 
slave who prayed to the same God that he himself 
worshipped, and who also spoke his own tongue, 
he naturally favored him. Thus the Jews prospered, 


146 NEHE. 

and in time found themselves owners of houses and 
lands, cattle and jewels, and all the things that 
made up wealth in Persia. 

Some of the Hebrews lived in beautiful homes, 
set in luxuriant gardens, and as Hanani visited them 
he often wondered at their devotion to their father- 
land — devotion that made them willing to abandon 
all these comforts and luxuries, and return to a 
country which had been desolated by conqueror 
after conqueror. 

The morning of the fortieth day arrived all too 
soon, and scarcely had the first beams of the sun 
come dancing across the plain, gilding the distant 
mountain-tops, crowning them with white splendor, 
and then leaping down into the palm trees that 
waved at their feet, before Nehe awoke and went 
out on the wide porch upon which his room opened. 
As he stood there, looking over the sleeping city, 
across the river and then beyond, to the towering 
mountains, his eyes seemed to see through them, 
and to behold his own beautiful city, Jerusalem the 
Golden, in all her ancient grandeur. Then he 
thought of it as it was now, desolate and broken 
down, and his face clouded and his eyes filled with 
tears. 

Quickly brushing them away, he knelt down rev- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 147 

erently, and keeping his face turned toward the 
mountains, he lifted his clasped hands and prayed. 

The morning sun shone on his pure white linen 
robe,, until it glistened with almost unearthly splen- 
dor, and as he flung back his clustering curls and 
raised his dark eyes to heaven, a look came into 
his beautiful, boyish face, that might have been seen 
on that of an angel, so pure, so intense, was its 
sweetness and sorrow. 

Just then Hanani and the Lady Sarai came out 
upon the porch, and seeing Nehe kneeling, they 
crossed over to him, and knelt silently beside him, 
as, without apparently noticing them, Nehe began 
that impassioned prayer that has come ringing down 
the ages : — 

“ I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the 
great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and 
mercy for them that love him, and observe his com- 
mandments, let thine ear now be attentive, and open 
thine eyes that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy 
servant. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that 
thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, ‘ If ye 
transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the 
nations; but,’ ” and here Nehe’s voice lost its mourn- 
ful wail and rose clear and joyous on the morning 
air, “ * but if ye turn unto me and keep my command- 


148 


NEHE. 


merits and do them, though there were of you cast 
out into the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will 
I gather them from thence, and will bring them into 
the place that I have chosen to set my name there.’ 

“ Now these are thy servants and thy people, 
whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and 
by thy strong hand.” 

Then the memory of what he must do that very 
day came flooding over him, and his voice grew 
softer and sweeter still as the pleading prayer went 
on : — 

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be 
attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the 
prayer of thy servants who desire to fear thy 
name; and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this 
day, and grant him mercy in the sight of the king.” 

The tears were falling fast from the Lady Sarai’s 
eyes as Nehe finished his prayer, but she bravely 
forced them back, and smiled as she laid her hand 
on his black curls and softly murmured : — 

“ May the God of our fathers go with you ! May 
He protect, and guide, and bring you back to me this 
day in safety ! ” 

And she bent her head and softly kissed his fore- 
head, well knowing that another morning’s sun 
might never shine upon it; for fear of treachery 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 149 


was ever present with Persian kings, souring the 
sweetest natures, and rendering the kindest sover- 
eigns fierce and unreasonable, if once their suspi- 
cions were aroused. 

As Lady Sarai finished speaking, the three turned 
and entered the room, and Bani came running to 
meet them. His grandmother stooped to kiss the 
child, and then she glanced around the apartment, 
and said sadly : — 

“ It was just by that pillar my poor Lydia stood 
the night she gave Adna the rose. Do you remem- 
ber it, Nehe } ” 

“ Indeed, I do, mother,” Nehe answered. “ Poor 
Lydia! Even yet I cannot think of her as dead.” 

“ Lydia not dead,” declared Bani, eagerly. ” Ly- 
dia a boy now.” 

“ Oh, yes, she is dead,” Nehe said ; but Adna, who 
was standing near, advanced a step with a startled 
look on his white face, and glanced anxiously at the 
child. 

“ Why do you say Lydia is not dead, Bani ” 
asked Hanani, lifting him in his arms 

“Tause I saw Lydia,” the child persisted, “and 
she a boy now. Adna knows,” the little fellow in- 
sisted, turning to the armor-bearer, who stood near 
Nehe. 


NEHE. 


150 

“What means Bani?” Nehe asked, looking keenly 
at Adna. 

“ My lord,” Adna answered, “ when we were in 
the Jews’ quarters yesterday, Bani saw a young man 
who spoke kindly to him, and he immediately called 
him Lydia, fancying, I suppose, that their faces were 
alike.” 

Nehe looked at Bani anxiously. “ My child,” he 
said, “say no such word again. Should the maid 
come to life as a man, my life, as well as my armor- 
bearer’s, could scarcely satisfy the king. Adna,” he 
added sternly, turning to that young man, “ you 
swore to me that the men found not Lydia’s dead 
body when they dragged the river.” 

“They found it not, my lord,” the armor-bearer 
answered steadily, but with a face of deadly white- 
ness. “ My lord, I swore true.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 15 1 


CHAPTER XVI. 

N EHE was very glad, when he entered the 
king’s private apartment that morning, to 
find that Artaxerxes intended to receive his friends 
there instead of in the throne room ; for Queen 
Damaspia, on learning that Megabyzus, the con- 
queror of Egypt, was to be at the court that morn- 
ing, had begged the boon of hearing the story of 
his conquest as told by himself. 

Damaspia was already seated by Artaxerxes when 
Nehe entered, and although the young cup-bearer 
had not seen her face for many years, he well knew 
her graceful, veiled figure, and he felt that her 
kindly eyes were upon him, as he advanced and 
knelt before the king. 

If Nehe could have pierced through the folds of 
the queen’s filmy veil, he would have seen a puzzled 
look come into Damaspia’s face as her eyes rested 
on the cup-bearer. 

“ Surely,” she was saying to herself, “ this is 
Nehe, the king’s favorite; but what has changed 
him so.-*” 


152 


NEHE. 


The air of boyish gayety that had sat on his hand- 
some face, when she last saw him, was gone, and 
instead there was come an expression of manly grav- 
ity. His lips had lost that slightly haughty curve 
they had formerly worn, and had grown straight and 
firm, and the smile that came into his face, as he 
turned to his master, was so tender and sweet, 
Damaspia did not wonder that the king’s eyes also 
dwelt long and kindly on his favorite’s face. 

The queen did not have time to observe him 
long, however ; for scarcely had the cup-bearer 
knelt before the monarch, when again the curtains 
were held aside, and the chamberlain entered, lead- 
ing by the hand Megabyzus, the victorious Persian 
general. 

This renowned warrior was a large, middle-aged 
man, with a stern face and keen eyes. He wore 
a high, fluted cap and a Median robe of crimson 
wool embroidered with crouching lions. The sleeves 
of the garment were so long that they entirely cov- 
ered his hands. Beneath this robe he wore tight- 
fitting trousers, and his feet were encased in soft 
shoes. A huge collar of gold circled his neck. 

The general was unarmed, save by the short 
dagger that was stuck in his belt. He advanced 
to the throne and prostrated himself, as the king 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 153 


raised his golden sceptre and pointed it toward 
him. 

Rise, Megabyzus,” Artaxerxes said graciously, 
‘*and tell us of your achievements. Many and 
various are the reports that have reached us, of 
how you overcame the wily Egyptians and the 
valiant Greeks, but we would hear the tale from 
your own lips.” 

Megabyzus rose and stood humbly enough, with 
folded hands and bowed head, when he began his 
narration, but as he went on, his form grew more 
upright and his eyes flashed, until the waiting cour- 
tiers could readily recognize, in the seemingly quiet 
civilian who stood before them, the courageous gen- 
eral who so often had led the Persian arms to victory. 

As he detailed, one after another, the thrilling 
incidents of the war, the king became more and 
more deeply interested, and the narrator more and 
more graphic, until even Queen Damaspia bent 
forward breathlessly to listen. He told how the 
Grecian ships had come to the aid of the revolting 
Egyptians. 

“They sailed up the Nile,” he said, “and de- 
feated our squadron, and besieged and took Mem- 
phis; but this was before I and my army, five 
hundred thousand strong, arrived.” 


154 


NEHE. 


Then he related the operations which resulted 
in the recapture of that town by the Persians, and 
told of the trouble they had when the Greek fleet 
fled to the tract called Prosopitis, which was a 
portion of the Delta, completely surrounded by two 
branch streams of the Nile. Here the fleet was 
besieged for eighteen months, until Megabyzus con- 
trived to turn the water from one of the two 
streams, leaving the Greek ships exposed to their 
attack. It was an easy matter then for an army 
of half a million men to surround and conquer the 
Greeks, being a remarkable instance of the capture 
of a fleet by an army. 

“ It was a wise and brave deed,” the king said, 
when Megabyzus had finished this portion of his 
recital, “ and wisely and bravely done. Was it not, 
my friends ? ” 

And Artaxerxes looked around upon the seven 
princes, who came forward and congratulated Mega- 
byzus most heartily on his exploit. 

Nehe’s heart sank as he listened to the rejoicing 
around him. How could he present his own pri- 
vate griefs on a day like this.? This morning the 
king would expect all his household to rejoice with 
him, and he would have no inclination to redress 
private wrongs. Nehe told himself that he must 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 155 


await a more favorable opportunity to prefer his 
petition. 

But then came another thought, one that sent 
all doubts and fears flying from his mind. This 
was not his own business. It was a weighty mat- 
ter pertaining to the affairs of the Lord Jehovah. 
Nehe was but the ambassador of the King, and no 
longer could he delay his Sovereign’s business. 

All fear for himself and all anxiety had gone 
now, and nothing remained but a calm and stead- 
fast determination to plead for his people. What 
was his life — what was any life — in comparison 
with the importance of the work committed to his 
care ? 

As these thoughts passed through Nehe’s mind, 
the king turned his eyes upon him and sat a 
moment quietly regarding him. The same change 
in his favorite’s face that had perplexed the queen 
puzzled the king, and he tried to solve the riddle. 
Something was changing his gay, boyish cup-bearer 
into an earnest-faced man, and nevertheless he saw, 
as did the queen, that there was no treachery, 
no deceit, in Nehe’s beautiful eyes as they met 
his. 

Then a terrible thought came into the mind of 
Artaxerxes. 


156 


NEHE. 


Could it be, he asked himself, that here was the 
lover of the dead maid, Lydia? And the king 
remembered again, with sudden distrust and sus- 
picion, that in spite of all the efforts to find Lydia’s 
body, it had not been discovered. Could it be that 
Nehe had found the body and had hidden it from 
him ? 

If he had, he should die ! Though he were his 
own son, the king would be avenged ! 

Then, leaning forward and fixing his eyes, now 
terrible with distrust and anger, on Nehe, he said, 
in a voice that caused every courtier in the room 
to turn and look at the favorite as though a bolt of 
lightning had fallen upon him from a clear sky : — 

“ Nehe, are you he whom Lydia loved ? ” 

The cup-bearer lifted his serene eyes to the 
monarch’s face. 

“ No, King Artaxerxes,” he answered. “ The 
maiden bore no love to me. Hebrews, my lord 
king, marry none save those of their own nation. 
I loved not Lydia.” 

Nehe’s words were few, but there was something 
about his calm and steadfast look that instantly 
killed the king’s suspicion ; but his curiosity re- 
mained, and he asked : — 

“ Why is your countenance sad, Nehe, seeing 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 157 


you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow 
of heart.” 

A wave of terrible fear swept over Nehe, and 
for a moment he was dumb. The queen bent 
her gaze inquiringly upon his face as he hesitated, 
pale and trembling, and it seemed to Nehe as if 
he read sympathy in her very attitude. Then he 
summoned all his courage and answered : — 

“ Let the king live forever. Why should not my 
countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my 
fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates even 
are consumed with fire ? ” 

The passionate pleading of his favorite’s voice, 
and his brave, sorrowful face, touched King Arta- 
xerxes’ heart, and he answered kindly : — 

“ Well, for what then do you make request ? ” 

A wave of intense gladness swept over Nehe at 
the kindly interest expressed even more in the king’s 
tone than in his words, and his eyes shone with 
joy as he raised them to the monarch, and answered 
quietly : — 

“ If it please the king, that you would send me to 
Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that 
I may build it and set up the walls thereof.” 

** Your request is a just and right one, Nehe,” 
Artaxerxes answered. “Our very religion teaches 


NEHE. 


158 

us to respect our fathers’ sepulchres. I feel inclined 
to grant it.” 

Hereupon the queen leaned over and whispered 
something to her husband, and the monarch re- 
sumed : — 

“ I know that so loyal a subject as you, Nehe, may 
be trusted not to foment rebellion in my far-away prov- 
ince; but if your petition be granted, for how long 
will your journey be, and when will you return ? ” 

“ Only so long, O king,” Nehe answered, “ as it 
may require to build the walls and strengthen the 
gates. Then I will surely return.” 

“I shall miss you,” the king added, “but you 
have my royal permission to go. What provision 
have you made for your jonrney ? ” 

“ Little as yet,” Nehe replied, “ for I had not my 
lord’s permission. But, if it please the king, let 
letters be given me to the governors beyond the 
river, that they may convey me over till I come into 
Judah ; and then, as I shall need wood in the build- 
ing, grant that I may have letters to Asaph, the 
keeper of the king’s forest, instructing him to give 
me beams for what I shall require.” 

The king smiled graciously. 

“All you ask for, Nehe,” he said, “is yours; and, 
besides, you shall have captains and soldiers to pro- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 159 


tect you in your perilous journey, from the fierce 
tribes of Arabs that roam over the desert. And 
now, Hatach,” turning to the haughty nobleman who 
stood near, “what of the lion hunt.? Have you 
arranged it to your satisfaction .? By the way, send 
the page Berces for Harbana. I would consult him 
also about the arrangements.” 

Hatach looked uneasily at the king, and then 
hesitatingly answered : — 

“ O king, knowest thou not that Queen Amestris 
demanded at daybreak the twelve pages of the court 
whom she won at dice from you last night, and that 
the page Berces was among them .? ” 

“ Yes,” the king replied, “ so she did, but I will 
send at once and order the return of Berces. He is 
the handsomest page of my train, and I like also his 
cheerful spirit. Yes, the queen mother shall return 
him. I bargained not to give her my choicest 
youths. She must be content with others. Go at 
once, Hatach, and bring him back.” 

Hatach prostrated himself at the monarch’s feet. 
“ O king,” he cried, “ punish not thy servant that 
thy command cannot be obeyed. The page Berces 
is no more. The Queen Amestris ordered the youths 
to be buried alive an hour ago, an offering to Pluto, 
the god whom she worships.” 


i6o 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XVII. 



iHE caravan of Lord Nehe had for three 


i days been travelling on its way to Jerusa- 
lem over the famous post road built by King 
Darius. As evening fell on the third day, they 
encamped by one of the many irrigating canals 
leading out from the river Euphrates, which they 
had just crossed. 

The camp from a little distance looked as if an 
army might be resting there. Tents were spring- 
ing up in every direction, and among them bright 
fires were gleaming, around which were gathered 
busy men preparing their evening meal. The mu- 
sical calls of the camel-drivers could be heard, sooth- 
ing their animals, as they unloaded and fed them 
for the night. Older sisters were hushing babies 
to sleep, while the mothers busied themselves about 
the tents ; for when it had become known throughout 
Susiana that Lord Nehe was returning to rebuild 
the city of Jerusalem, a large number of patriotic 
Jews availed themselves of the permission of King 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. i6i 


Artaxerxes, gathered their families, and went with 
him. 

Laughter and songs came from that portion of 
the camp where the soldiers were gathered, as 
they unharnessed their horses and prepared for 
the evening rest. In front of one of the larger 
tents Lady Sarai sat, with her sons and little Bani. 
They were a very cheerful family party as they 
watched the preparations of their servants for the 
supper. 

“ We have made good progress, have we not ? ” 
Lady Sarai said, addressing Nehe. “ If we con- 
tinue to journey as rapidly, we ought soon to reach 
Jerusalem.” 

“ Oh, yes, mother,” Nehe answered. “ One would 
scarcely think that so large a caravan as ours could 
journey so rapidly and safely.” 

“ I think,” said Hanani, joining the conversation, 
“the Lord God has been with us, although we 
have soldiers to protect us. How kind it was in 
the king to provide us with so large a guard for 
our journey.” 

“Yes,” added Lady Sarai, turning to Nehe; “do 
you not remember hearing how Ezra, when he led 
his band of Hebrews back to Jerusalem, stopped 
here, and for three days the whole caravan prayed 


i 62 


NEHE. 


for God’s protection in crossing the dangerous 
lands that lay between them and Palestine ? ” 

“ Had they no guard at all, mother ? ” Hanani 
asked. 

“ None,” Lady Sarai answered ; “ for Ezra said 
that he was ashamed to require of the king a band 
of soldiers and horsemen to help him against the 
enemy in the way.” 

“I don’t see why,” Hanani said. 

“ Because,” she answered, “ Ezra had spoken 
unto the king, saying, ‘The hand of our God is 
upon all them for good that seek him, but his 
power and his wrath are against all them that 
forsake him.’ ” 

“ What a wonderful journey Ezra’s was ! ” said 
Nehe, thoughtfully. “God surely led all those 
thousands of helpless men, women, and children 
through this dangerous and unknown land, in 
safety to Palestine.” 

“ I pray that He may do as much for us,” Lady 
Sarai added ; “ for after all, of what avail is human 
aid against the terrible floods of these plains and 
mountains or the simoom of the desert.^” 

“ One of your dangers, at least, you need not 
dread, lady mother,” Nehe interposed. “We shall 
not cross the desert at all. The post road does 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 163 

but skirt it. Nevertheless, I do pray for the pro- 
tection of the Lord God.” 

“How great is your faith in prayer, mother!” 
Hanani said. “Jerusalem is full of sad memories 
to me. Will you not pray that God may restore 
my Hannah and Jamin.-^” 

“ Do you pray yourself, Hanani .? ” Lady Sarai 
asked softly. 

“ Pray I ” Hanani exclaimed eagerly. “ My life 
is just one prayer. At first I was stunned. All I 
could do was to bear. But now, day and night, I 
beseech the Lord God to give them back to me, 
even as He has restored you and Nehe to each 
other. Oh, mother ! ” he continued vehemently, “ if 
you only could see them I Hannah, with her eyes 
like a doe’s — dark, soft, and beautiful, and her 
hair, curling in little waves from her forehead, and 
with sometimes an escaping lock turned back in a 
soft curl as if it were loath to leave so sweet 
a face! And Jamin! How strong and straight 
and brave he was, ever ready for a frolic, but 
a boy to be trusted as one trusts his brother.” 

Lady Sarai glanced pityingly at him. 

“ My son,” she said, “ I know all your sorrow, 
and I believe that you will one day know all the 
joy I feel when I look at you. Take courage ! 


164 


NEHE. 


Already good has come from your grief, and more 
shall surely follow.” 

‘‘I think you are right, mother,” Nehe said. 
“Brother, let us look forward with hope. Every 
day brings us nearer the land where your loved 
ones live.” 

“True,” Hanani assented. “What a comfort 
you two are ! Where does our road lead us 
to-morrow, brother ? ” 

“ We shall follow the river north, skirting the des- 
ert all day,” Nehe replied, “following the same route 
that you took, Hanani, when you came to Susa.” 

“Then we shall pass directly by the old city of 
Nippur,” Hanani said. “The caravan leader told 
me many curious stories of it as we passed on our 
way before.” 

“ Nippur.? ” repeated Nehe, interrogatively; “ Nip- 
pur.? What do I know about Nippur, mother.?” 
And he turned with a smile to the Lady Sarai. 

“ If you remember what your father taught you 
when you were a boy,” she answered, “you know 
that it was there that the first inhabitants of this 
country endeavored to build the Tower of Babel.” 

“Yes,” Hanani interposed, “and our guide told 
me, as we passed, that even yet remains of the 
ancient tower may be seen.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 165 

“I know,” said Nehe, “and there is a tradition 
at the court of Susa, that, deep down under the 
Temple of Bel, lies a magnificent library, telling of 
the doings of Babylonian kings dead and gone 
these thousand years.” 

“How I wish we had time to stop and examine 
it ! ” Hanani exclaimed. 

“ I am afraid that you would have to dig down 
twenty or twenty-five cubits to find it,” Nehe added ; 
“for the dust of centuries covers it, if it is there 
at all, for we have only the word of tradition that 
it is. The city itself was in ruins when our father 
Abraham started for the promised land.” 

Hanani looked reverently around him. 

“How strange it is,” he said. “When I set out 
to Susa, it seemed as if I were going to an utterly 
foreign country, but now that I am here, where so 
many of our people have preceded me, it seems as 
if I were visiting the home of my fathers.” 

“ And so you are,” Lady Sarai answered. “ It 
was from this very plain that our father Abraham 
came, and his eyes must have rested, as ours rest 
now, on its long, level stretches, with the river flow- 
ing through.” 

“ We would not have to go back very many 
years,” Nehe said, “ to find another wonderful event 


i66 


NEHE. 


in Jewish history, for it was here, on the banks of 
this very canal, leading away from the river Eu- 
phrates, that Ezekiel saw his wonderful vision.” 

Hanani leaned forward eagerly. 

“ Is it true,” he asked, “ that this canal is the 
river Chebar } ” 

“Yes,” Nehe replied reverently, “and the land 
about here has always seemed to me holy ground. 
It may be that Ezekiel rested just as we are rest- 
ing, on the night God spoke to him, beneath these 
very palm trees.” 

There was silence for a moment, and then Hanani 
turned to Nehe with the remark: — 

“You said that Nippur was in ruins when Abra- 
ham set out for the promised land, but it seemed 
to be a fairly prosperous city when our caravan 
passed it two months ago.” 

“ Oh, yes,” Nehe replied, “ Nippur is in very good 
order now. See, I have here a bill received only 
to-day from the merchant Asshur-Bel Didu, for 
dates which he is to furnish our caravan. I shall 
forward the bill to the king to-morrow, by the slave 
Satzo. Perhaps you would like to see the Baby- 
lonian writing,” he continued, drawing a small, sun- 
dried brick from a wallet that hung at his side, and 
banding it to Hanani. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 167 

“ How curious,” Hanani said, examining it. “ The 
Babylonians evidently intend that their writings 
shall last forever.” 

“ It is well that something of theirs should be 
everlasting,” Nehe replied, restoring the brick with 
its writing, which was a series of curiously indented 
marks, to his wallet, “for their cities certainly are 
not; and that leads us back to where we started. 
The city of Nippur, for example, has been building 
and rebuilding for the past three thousand years. 
Every time the city is destroyed by its foes, when 
the inhabitants recover themselves they build a 
pavement over the old ruins and start a fresh city.” 

“ Is that what raises it so high from the plain ? ” 
Hanani asked. 

“Yes,” Nehe replied. “I have no doubt it was 
quite a mound when Abraham passed by on his 
way to Canaan. He must have looked with curi- 
osity at its walls, thirty-five feet thick, within which 
the ruined Tower of Babel was still plainly visible.” 

“ His was another wonderful journey over this 
same road,” Hanani said. “How many times God 
has led His people through this strange land!” 

“ If the hand of our God be with us as it has 
been with those who have gone before us,” Nehe 
said reverently, “we shall be in Jerusalem within 


i68 


NEHE. 


thirty days. Oh, mother ! ” he cried, rising and 
turning toward her eagerly, “I can scarcely realize 
that in a month I may see the city of David, and 
then make it once again the pride and hope of our 
nation.” 

“I thank God,” Lady Sarai said, clasping Nehe’s 
hand, “that such honor may be given to my son.” 

Just here Adna joined the little group, his face, 
once so bright, wearing its usual look of quiet sad- 
ness. As he bowed respectfully to Lady Sarai, 
Nehe turned to him and said: — 

“Adna, how came that young camel-driver, Ariel 
they call him, to be engaged.? I questioned the over- 
seer of the camels, and he said you had done it.” 

“ My lord,” Adna replied, “ he is a young lad in 
whom my mother takes a deep interest — so deep, 
indeed, that she made me swear to her, upon my 
faith and honor, that I would guard and protect 
him on the journey, and deliver him, when we 
reached Jerusalem, into the hands of a friend.” 

“Who is the friend.?” Nehe asked. 

Adna looked troubled. 

“My lord,” he said, “I know not. My mother 
wrote the name on a piece of parchment, and gave 
it to me in a sealed cylinder, which she told me 
not to open until I reached Jerusalem.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 169 


And he took out a tiny roll from his pocket and 
handed it to Nehe. 

I like not the look of it,” Nehe said, regarding 
the roll closely. “ The lad is no camel-driver. That 
is evident. Had you not helped him these last two 
days, I doubt if he could even have kept up with 
the caravan. I think I shall send him back to- 
morrow to Susa, with a guard that goes to report 
to the king our safe passage of the river.” 

“ Oh, my lord, I pray you let him continue on the 
journey ! ” said Adna, eagerly. “ He is so kindly, " 
so gentle. He has been the greatest comfort to 
me in my sorrow. He is a good lad, my lord. 
Will you not let him go on .? ” 

“No, no,” Nehe answered decidedly. “He shall 
return with the guard. I fear me he is running away 
from the king’s displeasure, and it ill behooves me, 
Adna, to be a party to any treason against the 
monarch.” 

“ I fear the same, brother,” Hanani said. “ I 
noticed the lad to-day, and, believe me, he is gentle- 
born. Those white hands of his never held a goad 
before. And when one of the drivers struck him 
this morning, he shrank away and cried out, almost 
as a girl might have done. I think you are quite 
right in sending him back to Susa.” 


NEHE. 


170 

“ Oh, my lady,” Adna cried, turning with a pitiful 
look of appeal on his face to Lady Sarai, “will 
you not see Ariel ? I feel sure that he has done 
no wicked thing against the king.” 

“Wicked or not, he must go back to-morrow,” 
said Nehe, decidedly. 

“ My son,” said Lady Sarai, turning to him, “ open 
the cylinder. Perhaps it may explain some of the 
mystery concerning the boy.” 

Nehe broke the wax and drew out the tiny roll 
of parchment, on which was written, in Hebrew 
characters, these words : — 

“For the honor of womanhood, will not Lady 
Sarai, mother of Lord Nehe, take under her care 
and protection the lad Ariel ? ” 

As Nehe read these words, the little group looked 
into each other’s faces with astonishment. 

“ I will see the boy at once,” Lady Sarai said, 
turning to Adna. “ If he is going back to-morrow, 
there is all the more need for me to understand the 
mystery to-night. Adna, take me to him.” 

Adna turned and led the way through the camp, 
until they reached its outskirts, and then advanced 
to a little clump of bushes. Here he motioned to 
Lady Sarai to stop while he went forward a few 
steps. The night was fast descending, but enough 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 171 

light still remained to show Lady Sarai that Adna 
stopped beside a slight boyish figure, clothed in the 
garments of a camel-driver, lying stretched on the 
grass. 

The lad was breathing heavily, as if utterly ex- 
hausted, and occasionally a faint moan escaped 
through his closed lips. He started up with a 
frightened cry as Adna bent over him, but when he 
saw who it was that roused him, he sank back on the 
grass and cried : — 

“ Oh, Adna ! ” 

And at the sound of his voice Lady Sarai took a 
quick step forward, with a startled look on her face, 
while the boy, not seeing her, went on : — 

“ I am so tired, so tired ! I ran as hard as I could 
all day, but the camels go so fast ! I am afraid of 
them, too. Their great long legs are so strong. And 
one of them bit at me to-day, with his cruel white 
teeth. I am so afraid of the camels, Adna ! ” 

“ Never mind, Ariel,” Adna said soothingly. 
“ Perhaps you would like to go back to Susa. Lord 
Nehe says you may return with the guard to-mor- 
row.” 

The boy sprang to his feet with a cry of utter 
despair. 

“Oh, Adna,” he exclaimed, “I cannot go back! 


172 


NEHE. 


I cannot ! Though I die on the way, I must go for- 
ward to Jerusalem ! ” 

And then, before Adna could catch him, the lad 
sank fainting to the ground. Lady Sarai stepped 
quickly forward and knelt over the prostrate boy. 

“ Run, Adna, and get me some water,” she said, 
“while I undo this heavy leathern coat.” 

As Adna turned to run for the water. Lady Sarai 
unfastened the garment, and there saw to her aston- 
ishment, beneath a face and neck brown as the 
brownest Arab’s, a breast of snowy whiteness, on 
which blazed a jewel that she remembered seeing 
many a time about her lost Lydia’s pretty dimpled 
throat. It was a keepsake the dead girl had valued 
more than all her other possessions, because it was 
one which she wore when she was stolen from home. 

A few moments later, when Adna returned, he 
stopped in amazement at the sight which greeted 
him. Lady Sarai was holding the boy’s closelj 
cropped black head up against her breast, with a 
look of wonderful happiness on her usually serene 
face, while the boy, with both hands clasped in hers, 
was murmuring : — 

“He heard my prayer. Lady Sarai, and delivered 
me, even as Daniel was delivered out of the power of 
the king.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 173 

As Adna advanced with the water, Lady Sarai 
looked up and said : — 

“ Go and order one of the extra litters sent here, 
Adna. The lad is sick. But your mother was right 
in committing him to my care. I will guard and 
protect him, and he shall journey to Jerusalem 
with us.” 

Deeply wondering, but greatly relieved from his 
burden of anxiety, Adna turned away. 


174 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

O N an oasis in the desert of Moab, one pleasant 
morning in the early autumn, a beautiful 
Jewish woman sat in a large tent, busily at work 
weaving. As she worked she occasionally lifted her 
sorrowful brown eyes, and glanced through the 
camel’s-hair curtains that were looped back from 
the entrance of the tent to admit the light and air. 

The tent itself was a large one, as befitted its im- 
portance, for it was the home of the great Bedouin 
sheik Imbrim. Around it at irregular intervals were 
grouped the tents of others of his tribe. Numbers 
of thick, broad-tailed sheep were grazing near, and 
bare-limbed, black-eyed children raced in and out, 
or, moving more sedately, carried earthen pots of 
water, well-balanced on their heads. 

A large herd of camels were picketed under the 
palm trees, and fine, delicately formed horses, with 
eyes of almost human intelligence, flowing manes, 
and tails that almost swept the ground, moved about 
among the tents with the freedom of house dogs. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 175 


Picturesquely dressed men, whose long, loose robes 
gleamed whitely in the morning sunshine, were 
seated in front of the tents in close conversation, or, 
with eager, animated haste, were passing to and fro. 

The oasis was one of those fertile spots that lie in 
the midst of the wild and desolate wastes of the 
Arabian desert. For miles around stretched the 
burning sand, but far across it could be seen Mount 
Nebo, raising its lofty head into the clouds. 

The woman who was weaving found it hard to 
interest herself in her labor that morning, although 
the beautiful carpet upon which she was at work 
might well have claimed her closest attention. But 
there was an atmosphere of stir and bustle about 
the camp that disturbed her. When Sheik Imbrim 
sat with some of his most trusted men clustered 
close about him, as they were sitting now, she knew 
that they were planning a marauding expedition 
against some one. Some home would be rifled, or 
some helpless caravan would be fallen upon, and those 
who were with it killed, or led captive as she had 
been. She knew by the way in which the men were 
catching and saddling the horses that the start would 
soon be made. The women were beginning to bring 
out of the tents long, cruel lances, and bows and 
arrows, for their husbands. 


176 


NEHE. 


As she watched these preparations for an attack, 
a sturdy, boyish form entered the tent, and she held 
out her hands eagerly, saying : — 

“ Oh, Jamin, my son, have you come ? ” 

“ Yes, mother,” the boy answered. Then ap- 
proaching nearer to her, he put his arm around 
her neck and drew her face close to him as he 
whispered : — 

“ Mother, Sheik Imbrim says I am to go out with 
the tribe to-day. Word has been brought that a 
rich caravan will go over the road that skirts the 
desert, on its way to Jerusalem. They think it will 
pass about mid-day to-morrow, and we are to ride 
to-day into the mountains and hide ourselves at the 
pass, where we can fall upon the caravan as it goes 
through. I am to be taken with other boys of the 
tribe, to hold the horses, in case the men should 
wish to leave them.” 

“Oh, Jamin,” the woman whispered back, passion- 
ately, “ it is wicked and cruel work, and I dread the 
dangers of the desert and of the battle. I cannot 
let you go ! ” 

“ Jamin ! ” a stern voice called, “ get your horse, 
boy ! Hannah, unloose your clasp ; the boy must 
come ! ” 

Hannah started with a frightened cry as her eyes 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 177 


fell on the dark face of Sheik Imbrim, but Jamin 
straightened himself as a man would have done, 
and looked at the Arab defiantly. 

“Go, Jamin,” his mother whispered hurriedly; 
“ and may God protect and guard you.” 

At her words, the boy turned obediently, kissed 
her, and followed the chief out of the tent. 

Hannah would have been glad to leave her weav- 
ing and go out with the rest of the women to watch 
the hurried preparations the men were making, but 
although her work was so tedious that it required ten 
thousand of those small bunches of wool that she 
was fastening in place, following the pattern her 
mistress had sung to her that morning, to make a 
square foot of the finished carpet, she knew the 
practised eye of old Leah would detect any lagging 
if the weaving went not steadily forward, and there- 
fore she could only watch through the tent-flap the 
tribesmen as they mounted their horses and rode 
hurriedly away. 

Although it was early in the day when the party 
started, the men rode hard and fast over the terrible 
desert, then up through the wady, until at last they 
reached the mountains of Abarim. Up these the 
party hastened, till they arrived at the narrow pass 
where the caravan route crosses the range and then 


178 


NEHE. 


winds down to the plains of Moab before it fords 
the river Jordan on its way to Jerusalem. 

Sheik Imbrim carefully inspected the ground 
around the defile and then led his party straight 
up the mountain by a footpath so narrow that it 
took a practised eye to follow it. So rough and 
precipitous was this path, that it was with difficulty 
the horses, intelligent animals though they were, 
could be induced to mount it, but at last the entire 
party succeeded in making the ascent, and found 
themselves on a wide shelf of rock overlooking the 
long road that led to the pass. 

This shelf of rock rested against the mouth of a 
large cavern, which evidently had been used by 
the Arabs before, for traces of camp-fires were to be 
seen about its mouth, and gourds were hung at the 
small spring of water that gurgled at its back. 

“ We can make ourselves comfortable here for the 
night,” Sheik Imbrim said to his men. “ The cara- 
van will not be here before to-morrow at noon.” 

It was an easy matter for these Orientals to pass 
a night in the open air. The water in the cavern 
supplied them and their horses with drink, and 
Jamin was astonished to see the Arabs bring out, 
from some hidden recess in its depths, dates and 
parched corn for them all. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 179 


The men were intensely weary with their journey, 
and scarcely had night fallen when they wrapped 
themselves in their mashlahs and were soon asleep. 
But no sooner had the morning sun crept down the 
mountain side than the Arabs arose, ate their frugal 
breakfast, and then busied themselves caring for 
their horses. As Jamin mingled among them, al- 
though no one had told him, he gathered from their 
conversation just what their work was to be that day. 

The caravan which was approaching was guarded, 
so the spies sent out by Sheik Imbrim reported, by a 
very large body of soldiers, who rode in front. After 
these came many camels, heavily laden, and behind 
them a large number of men, women, and children, 
riding on horses, on camels, and in litters, while a 
very small body of cavalry brought up the rear. 

Sheik Imbrim seemed surprised and troubled at 
the number of soldiers that guarded the caravan, and 
for a time the Arabs seemed to be on the point of 
abandoning the proposed attack; but the sheik’s 
son, a long-limbed, slender young Arab, with keen, 
fierce eyes and a voice as soft and low as a woman’s, 
was very loath to relinquish the project. 

The booty would be immense, he urged, and he had 
a scheme by which he thought they could capture at 
least a part of it. His plan was to allow the guard 


i8o 


NEHE. 


and part of the camels to go through the defile un- 
challenged. There would be a great deal of noise 
and confusion during the passage, on account of the 
narrowness of the way, and it would be an easy 
matter to separate part of the caravan and drive it 
backward. The large company of men, women, and 
children would make it impossible for the small rear- 
guard to use their weapons effectively. A few of 
the Arabs could guard the pass, to prevent that por- 
tion of the caravan which had gone on from return- 
ing, while the rest would stampede the camels and 
start them headlong down the road. This would be 
done so suddenly that before the soldiers could realize 
what was the matter, they would be overpowered in the 
confusion. 

The plan seemed feasible, and after much excited 
debate it was adopted, and the rest of the morning 
was spent in hurried and eager preparations for the 
attack. Spots were chosen with care all along the 
path, in which men were concealed, and the most 
minute directions were given to each one concerning 
his exact work. 

Jamin, with the other boys who had accompanied 
the expedition, were placed on a high cliff at some 
distance from the men, with instructions that when 
the fighting began, they were to roll huge stones 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 

down the mountain on the heads of the rear-guard. 
As the boys lay there, quivering with excitement and 
waiting for the approaching cavalcade, one of them 
whispered to Jamin : — 

“ Father says that such a large caravan has not 
passed this way since the great leader Ezra took his 
host to Jerusalem.” 

“But these are not Jews.^” Jamin said interroga- 
tively. 

“ Oh, yes, they are,” the boy answered. “ They are 
all Jews, guarded by the cavalry of King Artaxerxes. 
But that won’t keep us from attacking them. The 
Arabs have no king.” 

“Did you attack the other caravan.?” Jamin asked, 
his heart sinking at the thought that it was his own 
people who were so soon to pass through the defile. 

“ No,” the boy answered. “ All the Arabs of the 
desert intended to, but a strange sickness fell upon 
our tribes at that time, and Ezra journeyed un- 
harmed, for we were unable to fight.” 

“ Hush you, lads ! ” called an older youth, warn- 
ingly. “ They will be coming shortly. We shall 
see them first around that sharp bend in the path. 
Listen ! I can hear their sound now. Get into your 
places behind the stones ! ” 

The boYs hastily secreted themselves, all save 


i 82 


NEHE. 


Jamin. He turned and crept cautiously into the 
bushes, until he was hidden from sight of the others. 
Then he ran toward the bend in the path. He ran 
as if his life and the lives of all he loved depended 
upon his going. One thought animated Jamin now. 
He must reach the bend in the road before the cara- 
van did ! He must warn the Jews of their danger ! 

It was hard work making his way along the hill- 
side, for ravines and heavy boulders interrupted his 
progress, and he was obliged to keep himself out of 
sight, lest the Arabs should see him and call him 
back. On he plunged breathlessly, scrambling over 
rocks, tripping over tree-roots, gliding from one 
boulder to another, until at last he reached the turn 
and knew he was safe from observation. 

Jamin was so thoroughly exhausted by his strug- 
gles, that for a few moments he lay helpless on a 
rock, his heart beating so hard and his breath coming 
so fast, that at first he feared he would not have 
strength to make himself heard when the caravan 
should reach him — and the caravan was coming 
rapidly on. Far down the mountain and across the 
desert it stretched, a long, straggling column ; and to 
his ears arose a very Babel of sounds — the rattling 
of armor, the tramp of horses, the shouts of camel- 
drivers, songs, laughter, crying of children — a con- 



« % 


“ My Lord, my Lord 



A TALE OF THE TIMES OF AR'FAXERXES. 183 


fused murmur, all joining in a roar which Jamin 
feared would drown his voice. 

It was not his purpose to go down into the cara- 
van, even though his own people were marching 
there. They might welcome him, but they would 
take him to Jerusalem. And he must stay with his 
mother. He was all she had to guard and protect 
and comfort her. He must only warn the caravan 
and then slip away. 

As the head of the column was nearing the turn 
of the mountain, the boy sprang upon a projecting 
rock high above their heads and waved a large 
green branch, at the same time calling: — 

“ My lord, my lord ! ” 

The advance guard of the caravan did not see 
him, but a handsome young man riding with its 
leader touched his arm and called his attention to 
the boy on the mountain side. 

“ My Lord Nehe,” he said respectfully, “ do you 
suppose yon child has a message for the cara- 
van } ” 

Lord Nehe glanced up impatiently. It was no 
light matter to halt at such a place, but something 
in the boy’s attitude and in the intense expression 
on his face made him stop his horse, while he 
called to the boy : — 


184 


NEHE. 


What is it, my lad ? ” 

I am a Jew,” the boy shouted back, *‘come to 
warn you that the Arabs lie in wait for you at 
yonder pass. Be warned, my lord, and go softly.” 
And, slipping from the rock, Jamin ran back into 
the underbrush. 

He ran back even more swiftly than he had 
come, for he felt certain that he would be pursued ; 
and so he was, though the soldiers sent after him 
soon gave up the chase and returned to Nehe, 
reporting that it was impossible to reach the rocky 
ledge at that point, and that long before they could 
get there the boy would be beyond their reach. 

Joy and terror struggled in Jamin’ s heart as he 
ran back — joy that he had warned the caravan, 
terror lest his absence had been discovered; but 
when at last he slipped around the boulder’s side 
and crept to his place by a large rock, he was 
overjoyed to find that he had not been missed. 

And now ensued another long period of sus- 
pense, which was inexplicable to the Arabs. So 
long, indeed, was this period that at length Sheik 
Imbrim himself crept silently and swiftly to Jamin’s 
side, for he was stationed nearest to the turn of the 
road. The old Arab peered down through the shel- 
tering bushes to the path beneath and muttered : — 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 185 


“It’s strange that they do not come. The cavalry 
should have passed this way a good half-hour ago. 
See, the shadow of the rock has changed, and is 
falling now on the other side. Why have they 
halted.^ Why do they not press forward.?” 

“ I think they are coming, O sheik,” Jamin an- 
swered, while his heart beat so fiercely that it 
seemed as if his words would choke him. “See, 
they are turning the bend in the road now.” 

“ ’Tis well ! ” exclaimed the sheik. “ As soon as 
the cavalry pass, I will rejoin my men. I would 
make sure how many have gone through. Count 
them, Jamin. Ishmael reported that a thousand 
mounted men were in the guard.” 

Quivering with excitement, the two leaned for- 
ward and watched the advancing column. It was 
composed of splendid-looking men, clothed in scarlet 
kilts, with breastplates and shields of shining brass, 
each armed with two javelins and a bow with a 
quiver of arrows, the latter slung at the back. The 
horses were also protected with similar armor, so 
that horse and rider shone in the bright sunshine 
almost as if made of brass. 

The men rode two abreast slowly and warily for- 
ward, until they reached the narrowest part of the 
pass, and then, instead of going through, to Imbrim’s 


i86 


NEHE. 


surprise and consternation, they halted, and each 
faced about, making living walls of brass between 
which the caravan, it was now plainly to be seen, 
was to pass. 

Slowly the army moved forward, until two solid 
lines of soldiers extended from one end of the defile 
to the other. Silent and motionless they stood, 
carefully scanning every rock and tree-trunk, every 
bush and rising hillock. No chance for a surprise 
was there here, no opportunity even for Sheik 
Imbrim to rejoin his men. Chagrined and disap- 
pointed, he could only cower beside the brave boy 
and gaze upon the great host as it proceeded safely 
through the pass. What an interesting sight it 
was to the boy, to see these men that he had 
saved, and his heart leaped with joy as he watched 
them march along. 

Through the living lane came first a small body 
of horsemen, dressed in a lighter armor than those 
who had stationed themselves along the path, for 
their breastplates were only of quilted linen, with 
helmets of bronze, and their weapons were shining 
swords of the best steel, the finished productions 
of the workshops of Phoenicia and Greece. 

In the midst of this body of mounted men came 
a handsome soldier, clad in a pure white linen 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 187 


garment, and armed only with a short sword. He 
was riding a spirited steed whose glossy coat was 
as white as the rider’s own raiment. So command- 
ing and princely was the air of this soldier, and so 
well and gracefully did he manage his horse, one 
knew instinctively that here was the leader of the 
caravan, and one born to command. 

Beside him rode his armor-bearer, a youth of 
scarcely more than twenty, clad from head to foot 
in shining steel, and carrying his own and his mas- 
ter’s armor. 

Following this body of troops came the long, 
long line of camels, with upraised, disdainful heads, 
heavily laden, passing up the rocky steep as swiftly 
and silently as shadows might. 

Before the camels began to go by, the leader 
and his armor-bearer had drawn to one side, and 
now they stood waiting, apparently either reviewing 
the troops or watching for some one. This action 
had puzzled Sheik Imbrim, but it was explained 
when, behind the camels, was seen advancing an- 
other and smaller body of cavalry, whose huge 
shields of wicker work, closely locked together, 
formed an impenetrable wall around something 
which they were carefully guarding. 

“The choicest of his treasures must be there,” 


i88 


NEHE. 


Imbrim said; “but we shall see what they are 
guarding, for the path narrows directly below, and 
they will be obliged to break their ranks. The 
wealth of a kingdom has already gone by; what 
more can he have.!*” 

As though in answer to this question, the com- 
mander stopped the advancing squad and began its 
rearrangement, in order to enable it to go through 
the pass. In changing their places, the soldiers 
lowered their shields, and Sheik Imbrim and Jamin 
almost forgot their caution as they peered forward 
in their eagerness to see what was hidden behind 
them. 

“ Only a woman ! ” the sheik exclaimed, in dis- 
gust. “They are guarding just a woman and a 
child.” 

But Jamin was bending forward with wide-dis- 
tended eyes, and a look of bewildered astonishment 
on his face. At that moment, another man rode 
hastily forward to speak to the leader. As he did 
so, he turned his upraised face toward the mountain 
side, and Jamin sprang to his feet. 

“ Oh, father, father ! ” he cried. 

But the words were scarcely uttered before a 
heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and he was forced 
down to the ground. Panting, struggling, fighting. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 189 

he lay there, straining every boyish nerve and 
muscle and sinew in the frantic endeavor to free 
himself from the cruel grasp that was slowly but 
effectually choking him, choking him until the light 
faded from his eyes. His breath stopped and he 
lay senseless on the ground. When he recovered 
consciousness, the caravan had passed, and the 
Arabs were busy preparing for departure, chagrined 
and disappointed at the result of their expedition. 


190 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

I T was midnight, and no light fell on desert and 
oasis save that of the stars and of the camp-fires. 
No one in the Arab camp had as yet thought of 
sleep, and for many hours the women had been 
turning anxious eyes toward the desert, looking for 
the return of the men who had ridden forth the 
day before. 

At length a glad cry from one of the maidens 
announced that she saw a dark shadow sweeping 
over the desert, whereupon all the women went to 
the edge of the oasis to watch it. 

“ Draw your shawl closely around you, Hannah,” 
one of the women said to another. “The night 
air is very keen, and you tremble greatly.” 

“ It is not altogether the night air,” Hannah 
answered. “ I shall be glad when the tribe is 
safely back.” 

“ They are coming very fast now,” the other con- 
tinued. “They will be here in a minute. But I 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 191 


fear that the expedition met with poor success. 
See, there are no camels in yonder line that is 
galloping in.” 

As she spoke, the men began to arrive at the oasis, 
and as each Arab flung himself from his horse, 
he was met by his wife and children, who plied 
him with eager, anxious questions. Hannah stood 
a little back from the rest. She saw that the riders 
were weary, chagrined, and disappointed, and she 
knew that it would not be best to ask questions at 
such a time. 

Presently the boyish form for which she was 
straining her anxious eyes came out of the star- 
light into that of the camp-fires, and with a little 
cry of welcome she ran to help him from his horse, 
for she saw that he was almost fainting from 
weariness. His feet had hardly touched the ground 
before he laid his head on her shoulder, and all the 
fearful disappointment and pent-up sorrow of that 
long, long ride burst forth in a bitter cry : — 

“ Oh, mother, mother ! I saw him, and he would 
not look ! I called to him ! I cried to him, but 
he would not stop ! And Bani — little Bani — how 
beautiful he was ! Oh, mother ! mother ! what shall 
we do ” 

“ Whom did you see, Jamin ? ” his mother de- 


192 


NEHE. 


manded, taking her sobbing boy in her arms and 
leading him quickly apart from the others, for she 
saw that he had a revelation to make. 

“ My father ! ” Jamin answered ; “ I saw my father 
go riding by on a beautiful horse, and little Bani was 
there; and, mother, he looked just as he did a year 
ago, only larger and better ! And I called to them, 
but the sheik stopped my cry. But I saved them, 
mother ! I saved father and Bani ! ” 

Then Jamin poured into Hannah’s startled ears 
the story of the caravan, and for a while she wept 
with him, wringing her hands in anguish ; but when 
he told her of how he had warned the caravan, and 
saved his father and Bani, and all the rest, she dried 
her tears, and gazed at him proudly, and said : — 
“Jamin, instead of weeping tears of sorrow, we 
should be singing songs of thanksgiving! How 
many nights have I gone to bed weeping, because 
I knew not what had become of your father and 
Bani! Now, although we know not all we would 
know, this is sure — Bani is happy and well cared 
for, and what a relief this is to my mother-heart, 
no one but the Lord can know. And your father, 
too ! You say he was well dressed and well at- 
tended ? Then he is prospering, somewhere and 
somehow, though I cannot understand.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 19:^ 


“It seems so strange, mother,” Jamin answered; 
“he was not with a Jewish or Egyptian caravan, 
like those that sometimes cross the desert; but the 
men who guarded him were strange people, such 
as I saw once with the Persian governor, when he 
came to Jerusalem with a message from the king.” 

Hannah glanced up with a startled look in her 
eyes. 

“Jamin,” she said, “I think I understand it all. 
Many and many a time, as your father and I have 
sat in the evening on the roof of our little house, 
looking at the broken-down walls of Jerusalem, I 
have heard him say, that God would raise up 
some messenger, wise enough and strong enough to 
persuade Artaxerxes Longimanus to allow us to fin- 
ish the work which Darius commanded us to stop ! ’ 
Then he would tell how Sanballat, our great enemy, 
was growing old now, and he did not believe that 
Sanballat could influence Artaxerxes as he had in- 
fluenced Darius. Who knows,” Hannah exclaimed, 
“ but that your father has gone himself to the Per- 
sian king, and has come back with the royal per- 
mission ! ” 

“Whatever he has tried to do, mother,” Jamin 
replied, “ he has certainly succeeded ; for though his 
face was care-worn and sad, great honor was paid 


t94 


NEHE. 


him by all that were with him, for he rode up to 
the leader of the caravan as if they were close 
friends, and it was Bani that the soldiers were 
guarding so carefully.” 

“ If it be as I suspect,” Hannah said, ** we may 
well spend our days in captivity, Jamin, for the 
glory of our nation will be restored.” 

Father will not leave us in captivity,” Jamin 
added proudly. ‘‘If he has horses and armies, he 
will come and save us.” 

Hannah stroked the brown head lovingly. 

“Your father does not know we are here,” she 
said. “ He thinks we are with Sanballat in his 
strong, walled city of Samaria. He does not know 
that we were sold to Sheik Imbrim. But do not be 
disheartened, Jamin ! I have not put my trust in 
horses and chariots, but in the God of our fathers. 
He will yet deliver us ! Now, hearken ! If it be as 
I think, that your father has come with the governor 
to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, it will make a great 
disturbance among the Samaritans and these Arab 
tribes, and we shall soon hear of it. Broken-down 
Jerusalem lies a prey to all, but Jerusalem rebuilded 
is the watch-dog and tower of defence to the Jewish 
nation.” 

And the two returned to the tent. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 195 


To Hannah the days that succeeded the passing 
of the caravan were long and wearisome. All day 
long she assisted the sheik’s wife, grinding corn in 
the stone mortars, carrying water for the flocks, and 
weaving on her carpet. But to Jamin the time fled 
by swiftly and pleasantly enough. In the morning 
he went with the Arab boys and climbed the lofty 
palm trees to bring down dates for their food, or 
helped to tend the flocks. He liked to stand and 
watch the Arabs as they trained their camels, teach- 
ing them to kneel at the word of command, and to 
endure, with only little moans of protest, the heavy 
burdens that were strapped to their backs. But 
his greatest pleasure of all was in caring for 
Neko, a beautiful mare that belonged to the 
sheik. 

Ordinarily Imbrim would allow no hand but his 
own to feed or caress his favorite steed, but in 
coming down the mountain side, the day they 
returned from the attempted attack on the cara- 
van, the sheik had slipped on a treacherous stone, 
and sprained his ankle so severely that every at- 
tempt to stand since had brought on excruciating 
pain. He had therefore allowed Jamin the pleas- 
ure of feeding and attending the horse while he 
was unable to get about. 


196 


NEHE. 


The friendship that had sprung up between 
Neko and Jamin was very deep on both sides. 
Arabian horses are almost human in their intelli- 
gence, and as Jamin fed and petted Neko, he 
fancied that the horse knew all he felt and 
thought, and he used to stand for hours with his 
arms around her neck, telling her tales of his far- 
away Judean home. 

As the horse needed exercise, the sheik encour- 
aged Jamin to ride her, and it was not long before 
the Hebrew boy rode Neko almost as well as his 
Arab master, guiding her without saddle or bridle, 
by the mere pressure of his legs and feet against 
her sides. 

Jamin loved, too, the evenings on the desert, 
when the stars flamed out like great torchlights 
in the sky; but the oasis itself grew black and 
dark and chill with the night. Then the ruddy 
camp-fires were lighted, and the women began to 
prepare the evening meal, using for fuel the shrubs 
that the boys had already gathered. 

While they were doing this, Hannah would mix 
and knead the barley cake, which would then be 
put into the bed of glowing coals and baked. How 
good it was when it came out of its hot oven and 
they ate it! Then, sitting around the same fire. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 197 


as the evening shadows lengthened, they would 
heap on more fuel, while the old sheik told strange, 
wild stories, and the fire-light played over their 
faces and cast black shadows on the tents behind 
them. 

One of the stories that Jamin liked best to hear 
was about their great forefather Abraham, who 
had sent his son Ishmael out into the desert 
to found a new home and a nation for him- 
self. 

For a time Ishmael was satisfied with his life on 
the desert, but when he was grown to be a man 
he visited the home of his father, and there he saw 
flocks and herds in green pastures, feeding beside 
lovely streams. He saw Abraham’s broad fields of 
waving grain, his olive and pomegranate and peach 
trees, and envy grew in his heart, causing him to 
complain bitterly of his own position. Then Abra- 
ham comforted him, saying : — 

“Son, it is true that you may not have fields 
and orchards, as your brethren have, but lo ! on 
the desert you have found the best gift, after all, 
that God has ever given to man. Tell me, would 
you exchange the horse you are riding for any 
field in my possession ? ” 

Ishmael looked into his mare’s beautiful eyes. 


198 


NEHE. 


stroked her silky coat, and answered, ** No.” Then 
he went back to his desert comforted. 

And when Jamin looked up to find Neko gazing 
over his shoulder with an expression of loving 
friendliness, he felt, with the Arabs, that the horse 
was God’s best gift to man. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 199 


CHAPTER XX. 

I T was three weeks after the Arabs had returned 
from their fruitless expedition against the 
caravan, that an alarm was sounded in the camp 
one evening, for a stranger was approaching at 
full speed over the desert. 

“He is a messenger from some tribe at peace 
with us,” Imbrim said, after a glance at the rider 
in the distance. “ No enemy or stranger would 
dare to approach us unguarded. Let preparations 
be immediately made to receive him with honor.” 

All the men on the oasis sprang upon their 
horses and galloped to meet the rider, uttering 
loud cries and brandishing their long lances and 
wildly swinging their shields as they rode. With 
their white robes streaming back in the breeze, 
they rushed like a hurricane toward the approach- 
ing horseman, who dashed forward to meet them 
in the same strange fashion. 

One unused to the customs of the sons of the 
desert would have fancied that a desperate fight 
was about to take place, as the excited horses and 


200 


NEHE. 


men circled around each other, but this was only 
the Arabian way of greeting the new arrival with 
marks of respect. 

Surrounding him as they rode, they conducted 
him to the tent of their sheik. Here he was given a 
bountiful meal of barley bread, dates, and milk. By 
this time it was growing dusk, and when the ev^en- 
ing meal was finished, the brushwood fire was replen- 
ished and all the men of the tribe gathered in a 
close circle around him, the sheik in the place of 
honor, that the rider might tell them his errand. 

As soon as the Arabs had taken their places 
around the visitor, the women, closely veiled, seated 
themselves within hearing, and how fast Hannah’s 
heart beat as she listened to the tale the messenger 
told! 

“ I am here, O great and powerful chief,” he 
began, bowing low to the old sheik, “from your 
friend and ally, Sanballat, the rich and powerful 
governor of Samaria. He bids me tell you that 
our common enemy, Jerusalem, which for many 
years has been despoiled of her power and has 
lain at our mercy, is arising from her ruins and 
endeavoring to regain her former position of 
strength and glory.” 

“ How can this be ? ” asked the sheik. “ When 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 201 


I made my last excursion against the city, she was 
utterly helpless, and we easily took from her people 
many flocks and much grain and fruit.” 

“True, O wise chief,” said the messenger, “but 
Sanballat bids me tell you that there has come a 
new governor to Jerusalem, with letters from the 
great King Artaxerxes, permitting him to rebuild 
the walls. He also carried letters to the keepers 
of the king’s forests, and many men are now em- 
ployed in cutting down huge beams to be used in 
rebuilding the gates.” 

“This is bad news, indeed,” said the old sheik, 
“and the tribes of the desert, with the Midianites 
and the proud Samaritans, should join their forces 
and stop this building, as we stopped it in the 
reign of Darius.” 

“It is for this I am come,” said the Arab mes- 
senger. “ Sanballat has but just flnished the beau- 
tiful temple to the Jewish God, in his city of 
Samaria, and it angers him that the Jews should 
attempt at this time to rebuild their own, for many 
Jews who were flocking to his city and his temple 
will now return to their own city of Jerusalem; and 
so he has sent messengers to all his brethren of 
the desert, asking them to join with him in a com- 
bined attack against Jerusalem.” 


202 


NEHE. 


** Gladly will we add our strength to his,” replied 
Imbrim ; I and my people. When is the day in 
which he desires us to set forth ? ” 

“The time has not yet been chosen,” said the 
messenger ; “ but watch yonder mighty mountain- 
peak. The night before all the tribes are to start 
for Jerusalem, huge beacon fires will burn on its 
summit, a signal that on the following day San- 
ballat will join you before the unfinished walls of 
Jerusalem, ready and able to overthrow that pre- 
sumptuous city.” 

There was much more talk between the sheik 
and the messenger, but Hannah, with her hands 
pressed against her heart, moved quietly back into 
the shadow of the great tent, and turned her straining 
eyes toward Mount Nebo. Already in imagina- 
tion she saw the red beacon flaring there, calling 
the enemies of Jerusalem to its destruction, and 
she could not endure to listen as the plans were 
being laid. 

Every night after the departure of Sanballat’s 
messenger, many eyes on that desert oasis were 
turned toward the dark heights of the mountains 
of Moab, to see if the red beacon was yet glow- 
ing. 

For a whole week the Arab gazers turned away 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 203 


disappointed. They were eager for the expedition, 
certain of returning home, as they had done many 
times before, enriched with cattle and merchandise 
stolen from the hapless Jews. But one pair of eyes 
gleamed joyfully over the darkness, night after night, 
as Hannah realized that one more day had been given 
to her friends in which to strengthen the walls of 
Jerusalem. 

But on the evening of the eighth day a cry of 
exultation went up from the Arab camp. Scarcely 
had the shades of night fallen over the desert, when 
high up the mountain glowed the red signal. At 
once all was confusion and excitement on the oasis. 
The women were set to baking barley loaves for the 
men to carry with them ; and the Arab warriors, 
gathering around their camp-fires, devoted themselves 
to cleaning anew and resharpening their weapons, 
and to boasting of the deeds they would do. 

It was far in the night when Hannah crept into 
the women’s compartment of the tent and sank down 
on her sleeping-mat close beside Jamin. Then began 
a terrible battle with herself. A messenger must be 
sent to warn the city of its peril. But who would 
go.^ There were only two on the oasis who would 
be willing to carry the warning, — she and Jamin, — 
and she was a woman, weak and helpless. To her 


204 


NEHE. 


the journey was an impossibility. But was it not 
such to him, too, she asked herself. How could she 
send him ? — her boy, her darling ! It was impos- 
sible. He would be lost, he would perish of thirst 
on those burning sands, and she would be his 
murderer. 

Then the thought of his father’s peril came to her 
mind. She pictured the sudden combined attack of 
Sanballat, with all his army, and the tribes of the 
Arabs, and the fierce, cruel Midianites. In her mind 
she saw the unprotected workmen overwhelmed, and 
the mothers with their children either slain or carried 
off into captivity. 

She called to mind the other Hannah, who had 
given up her little son to the service of the Lord. 

“ But,” moaned the poor mother, “ that Hannah 
took Samuel herself and left him in kind hands, 
while I must send my son out into the terrible desert 
alone.” 

Hannah dared not waken Jamin even with caresses, 
for she wished him to get a long night’s undisturbed 
rest. He would need all his strength, she knew, for 
that terrible journey on the morrow, if she should 
send him ; but she bent lovingly above his curly 
head and felt his warm breath on her cheek. 

Once he stirred uneasily in his sleep, and mur- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 205 


mured, “ Mother,” and she caught him in her arms 
and pillowed his head on her breast, as she had 
done when he was a baby. 

Thus the long night passed, and at last the shrill 
crowing of a cock told her that day would soon 
break, and reminded her that what she would do 
she must do quickly. With one last great effort 
she put aside her agony and fears. Jerusalem 
must be warned ! Then, bending over her boy, she 
whispered : — 

“ Jamin, Jamin, my son ! ” 

The boy stirred, and she caught his hand in hers 
with a clasp that they had often used since their 
captivity, as a warning of danger and a signal for 
silence. The firm touch instantly awakened him, 
and he sat up. 

“Jamin, my boy,” his mother whispered again, 
“rise and come with me.” 

As is the custom in the East, both Hannah and 
Jamin wore at night the same loose, flowing robe 
that covered them by day. As he followed his 
mother out, therefore, he was fully dressed. 

The two were compelled to step very cautiously 
to avoid waking the other inmates of the large 
tent; and, once outside, although the darkness was 
intense, Hannah led Jamin swiftly to the edge of 


206 


NEHE. 


the oasis. She stopped only once, and that was 
for the purpose of filling her large leather water 
bottle with water at the well. 

When they reached the edge of the oasis, they 
halted, and Hannah stood for a moment with her 
arm around Jamin, trembling. Then she controlled 
her emotion, and said quietly, for she realized that 
if he were to be successful in his strange errand 
she must not rob him of his courage : — 

“Jamin, my boy, do you know what that red light 
that burned last night on the mountain side meant ? ” 

“Yes, mother,” Jamin answered. “It meant that 
to-morrow the Jews are to be attacked, and perhaps 
father will be killed. Oh, mother, how I wish I 
could help them ! ” 

And in the darkness Hannah felt the boy’s tears 
rain down on her hand that was clasped around 
his neck. 

“ No, Jamin,” she said, “it meant that to-day — for 
the morning is close at hand — a brave boy would 
ride over the desert. He would ford the river Jor- 
dan just beyond the Moab mountains, and then he 
would dash on to Jerusalem, and cry, as he entered 
the gates of the city, ‘Up, for your enemies be 
upon you!’ And, my son, he will save the city 
and its people, his father and his brother.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 207 

And who, mother,” asked Jamin, and Hannah felt 
his tears cease to flow and his sturdy form straighten 
in the darkness, “ who shall this boy be, mother ? ” 
Hannah, lifting her pale face up to the dark sky, 
said : — 

“ Oh, Jamin, my son, it shall be you ! To you God 
has given the honor of saving His people.” 

For a moment or two the boy was silent, and then, 
trembling with excitement, and drawing closer to her 
in the darkness, he asked : — 

” Mother, how can I reach Jerusalem to-day ? ” 
“Do you not remember, Jamin,” she asked, “the 
day you went with the Arabs to attack the caravan, 
how you told me you remembered so well the road 
to the pass that leads to the Jordan, and were sure 
you could find it again, that some day we two might 
escape together.?” 

“Can you not go with me now, mother.?” Jamin 
asked eagerly. 

“ No,” Hannah answered ; “ there is but one horse 
on the oasis that can traverse the distance between 
here and Jerusalem to-day — only one horse among 
all the Arab tribes that can outdistance all others 
if you should be pursued, and that is — ” 

“ Neko,” Jamin interposed. “ Oh, mother, would 
it be right to take her .? ” 


208 


NEHE. 


“ Yes,” Hannah replied. “ Give the little bird- 
call that you have trained her to answer, and see 
if she will not come to us here.” 

Softly on the night air rose the “ chirr-chirr ” of a 
bird, and then Hannah and Jamin waited in breath- 
less silence. There was no answer of approaching 
feet, and Hannah whispered : — 

“Call again.” 

Again the bird-like call thrilled through the dark- 
ness, and again they listened. In a few moments 
they heard Neko’s soft steps coming toward them, 
guided by the call, and with a low whinny the mare’s 
soft muzzle was thrust into Jamin’s hand. 

“There,” said Hannah, “God has provided you 
with the means of travelling, my boy ; and here is 
your water bottle, and here are some dates and 
barley bread. I saved my supper for you, darling, 
and you must divide with Neko.” 

Then Hannah carefully explained all she knew of 
the road over which he must travel after he left the 
mountain pass, and bade him not to stop at the call 
of any one. 

As Hannah stood beside Jamin in the darkness, 
she longed to clasp him in her arms, to kiss him with 
passionate fondness, and to sob out her agony on his 
shoulder; but again she remembered that he would 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 209 


need all his boyish courage and strength before the 
day was over, and therefore she stood beside him 
quietly enough, going over all the long road that lay 
between them and Jerusalem. 

The darkness and silence were intense. There 
was not a sound, not even a breath of wind in the 
tree-tops. Then Hannah knelt on the sand and 
begged the help of the Lord for her boy. 

“Out of my arms into thine I put him,” she said, 
“ for all my trust is in thee.” 

The heavy darkness was lightening a trifle now, 
and desert and sky had turned to a dark, dull gray. 
The winds were hushed, and there was no sound of 
birds in the trees, standing quiet and motionless, 
gray and cold as the desert itself. 

It seemed to Hannah as if the world were dead, 
and that light could never dawn. Suddenly, as they 
watched, there came a faint twitter of birds in one 
of the tree-tops, and then an answering call. An- 
other and another followed until the palms were full 
of song, and then, far out there in the darkness, a 
faint golden flush appeared. Was it light, or did 
Hannah’s straining eyes only imagine it ? 

She pressed Jamin’s hand more tightly and her 
heart beat more rapidly. She knew that the moment 
had almost arrived when the parting must come, for 


210 


NEHE. 


higher and higher swept the flush, separating the 
gray of the desert from the gray of the sky. Then 
a rosy pink came surging after the yellow. It fled 
along the sky until it filled the whole eastern horizon. 
It came toward the watchers in rolling billows of 
color. It reached the gray trees and painted them 
green, and gave to them trunks of gold and silver. 
It dropped down to the desert and turned its sands 
to amethyst and gold. 

Wave after wave of color came rolling in, each 
more gorgeous than the one that preceded it, and 
Jamin crept closer to his mother, his arms clinging 
to her, his questioning eyes upraised to her face. 
And still Hannah held him. She would not let him 
go until the first sunbeam should gleam across the 
sky. That should be God’s signal to her. 

Then the birds began to hush their joyous chorus. 
The breeze that a moment since was swaying the 
trees grew still. The desert listened. Something 
was coming. All nature grew expectant. The 
clouds rolled back and banked themselves as a 
throng of angels might, in a long, low, dark line 
across the horizon, leaving a pathway of gold upon 
which opened a gateway of pure blue. The sea of 
amber below smiled up at the sea of gold above. 
The Prince of Day was coming. He must come 
soon. And Hannah turned to Jamin. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 21 1 


“ Mount, dearest,*' she whispered, “ and, once 
started, do not look back. The Arabs will not miss 
Neko for an hour. They are to await the coming of 
the Midianites, and it will be nearly or quite two 
hours before they arrive. If you see enemies in 
pursuit of you, ride on the faster ! Ride, but never 
look back ! ’* 

Jamin reached his seat on his horse’s back with a 
light bound, and at that moment a long, quivering 
ray of sunlight shot across the sea of crimson and 
gold. A breeze sprang out of the desert, and stirred 
the palm trees’ plumes of green. Hundreds of birds 
burst into an ecstasy of song ; and the sun, shorn 
of his beams, rose out of the desert, passed through 
the golden gate, and marched along his appointed 
pathway, glorious in beauty, perfect in majesty ; and 
Hannah knew that the moment had come when she 
must say farewell. 

Jamin bent down to her from his height on faith- 
ful Neko’s back. 

“ Good-by, mother,” he whispered ; “ I shall give 
your love to father to-night.” 

“ Good-by, my darling,” she answered. God be 
with you ! Now ride for your life.” 


212 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XXL 

J AM IN leaned forward and spoke a low word in 
Neko’s ear, at the same time touching her flanks 
gently with his heels. The intelligent animal gave 
a shake of her head, her nostrils sniffed the morn- 
ing air, and with a bound she shot out into the 
desert; and Hannah stood alone, her hands clasped 
over her beating heart, her straining eyes following 
that little flying figure, on whose safe-going depended 
the fate of all she held dear. 

How swiftly Jamin rode! For the first few miles 
it was all he could do to retain his hold on Neko’s 
back, trained rider though he was, for the cool 
morning air was as bracing as wine, and nothing 
could have suited Neko better than a race over the 
desert, with the young master she loved on her back 
and Hannah’s soft caress as she started filling her 
heart with pride. Therefore she flew onward as if 
she knew that she was accounted the swiftest of all 
the horses in the desert, and was intent upon show- 
ing her speed. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 213 


The boy had so recently been roused from sleep, 
he thought of nothing save the task of guiding his 
steed in the right direction. 

Soon the sun grew hot and fervid. Oh, how it 
blistered down on the clear, clean sand ; and how 
the sand stretched away — miles and miles of it, 
blown by the wind in fantastic waves and hillocks. 

And how thirsty Jamin was ! Why, it was 
scarcely half an hour since his mother had given 
him and Neko water and food, and already his 
tongue was parched and dry. To a boy unaccus- 
tomed to the desert, this heat and thirst would have 
been unbearable, but Jamin cared very little for 
either, and the desire for water would have been 
harder to bear had not experience taught him that 
it would soon pass off. 

As Jamin flew swiftly along he was overjoyed 
to observe, by numerous signs that greeted his eyes, 
that he was on the right course. He had ridden at 
headlong speed for an hour, and then had held Neko 
in, for the heat grew more and more intolerable, and, 
like the wise young rider that he was, he did not 
wish to overtax his horse at the beginning of the 
journey. 

Another hour had gone when a sound broke the 
intense silence of the desert, and Jamin’s heart 


214 


NEHE. 


mounted into his throat as he listened. Surely there 
were voices behind him ! Surely there was the swift 
rush of horses ! He turned his head for one back- 
ward look. Yes, just as he had fancied, there came 
a company of Arabs in full pursuit after him. 

Bending low over his horse’s neck, Jamin whis- 
pered in her ear : — 

“ Faster, Neko, faster ! ” 

His own terrible excitement seemed to communi- 
cate itself to the horse, for with a bound she shot 
forward, as if until now she had but been playing 
at running. Now she would show what speed really 
was ! Panting and trembling, but remembering his 
mother’s parting admonition, Jamin held on, never 
once glancing back, and to his delight he saw that 
he had almost gained the entrance to the long wady 
that led to the mountain pass. 

Well it was for Jamin that for ages the angry 
clouds had been hurling themselves in torrents 
against the mountain sides, and, rushing down them 
in fierce, headlong haste, had dashed into the desert, 
a mass of foaming, yellow water. But the desert 
had no rocks, as had the mountains, to oppose the 
rush of the oncoming foe, and deep ravines and 
valleys showed the gaping wounds the flood had 
cut ere it sank out of sight in the shining sands. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 215 

Jamin was very near the wady now, and he knew 
that its rough, uneven sides would protect him from 
his enemies. He had no fear of being overtaken by 
them. Neko was far too fleet for that. It was their 
arrows he dreaded, and he rode desperately, hoping 
they would not fire until he reached the wady ; but 
even as the thought crossed his mind a horrid hiss 
struck his ear. Neko swerved to one side, and an 
arrow buried itself in the sand a few feet in front. 

Jamin leaned closer on his horse’s neck. 

“ P'aster, faster, Neko,” he panted. “ It’s not " 
I alone you are saving ; it’s the city, God’s city.” 

Another arrow whizzed past him, and this time 
so close the boy cried out in terror : — 

“ O God of my fathers, save me, save me ! ” 

And as if in answer to his prayer, a rushing sound 
broke the stillness of the desert, a roar as of a 
mighty cataract, coming nearer and nearer. The 
Lord of the desert had surely heard the cry of his 
messenger ; for Jamin, looking back, saw, directly 
between him and the Arabs, but entirely enveloping 
them, the dreaded simoom. 

Huge columns of sand like mighty giants were 
whirling in a wild, fierce dance between him and his 
enemies, and although the air grew hazy and almost 
stifling with heat, he was quite out of the course 


2I6 


NEHE. 


of those terrible sand monsters that were enshroud- 
ing his pursuers. 

“ Go, Neko, go ! " he shouted. “ We are safe ! We 
are safe ! ” 

Two hours more of that swift, ceaseless gallop, 
and he had ridden through the wady, crossed the 
mountain pass, and was coming down into the valley. 
How his heart beat with exultation as at last a long 
line of silver, running through a stretch of lovely 
green, told him the river Jordan was in sight, and 
that more than half of his terrible journey was over ! 

It seemed as if the sight of the river filled Neko 
with as much joy as it did her master, for she arched 
her beautiful neck and neighed joyfully as she gal- 
loped up to the river’s brim and then bent for a long, 
cool draught of that delicious water. 

It was lovely there in the shade, with beautiful 
flowers all around them, and that wide stretch of 
silver water before them. Jamin almost fell from 
Neko’s back from sheer weariness, and then he 
buried his face in the rippling waves. 

But the river did for them what it has done for 
many other fainting travellers. It gave them new 
life, and after the two had eaten the cakes and dates 
Hannah had put up for them, and rested a little 
longer in the delicious coolness, they were quite 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 217 

ready to go on, though Jamin longed to linger in 
that lovely valley. 

How beautiful it was, sweet and green and covered 
with exquisite wild flowers. To his boyish eyes, so 
long accustomed to the yellow desert sands, he 
thought nothing could be sweeter than the scarlet 
anemones that grew everywhere. And the roses! 
How delicious they were, fairly begging him to pluck 
them. But, tempted as he was, he mounted his horse. 

“ It’s a long way yet, Neko,” he said, looking 
across the ford of the Jordan and up at the high 
mountains that towered in the distance beyond. 
“ It’s a long ride, but we shall do it, shan’t we ? ” 

And the two started bravely on the dangerous 
road that lay between them and Jerusalem. 

While Neko resumed her steady, swift gallop 
forward, Jamin kept a careful lookout for any 
enemies they might meet on foot or on horseback. 
Occasionally he glanced back, but he was not much 
afraid of any one’s overtaking him. He had trav- 
ersed the road much too rapidly for that. But he 
kept asking himself what he should do if he were to 
meet a body of Samaritans coming toward him, and 
he finally decided that he would leave the road and 
try to shelter himself in the bushes until they had 
passed. 


2i8 


NEHE. 


It was well he had chosen a plan of action before 
the time came when he should need one, for sud- 
denly he saw approaching him a band of fierce, wild 
men, mounted on fine horses and armed with long 
spears and bows and arrows. 

Instantly leaping from Neko’s back, he led her 
into the woods and then crouched down beside her, 
scarcely breathing, as the cruel-looking band swept 
past him. To his great joy they had evidently not 
seen him, for they kept on toward the river. 

When they were out of sight, Jamin resumed his 
journey. He was fast approaching Jericho now, 
and its walls towered high before him. 

All around the city lay groves of palm and sweet- 
scented balm trees, and fields whose perfect order 
showed they had very recently been carefully tended ; 
but nowhere was any one now to be seen. Not a 
flock upon the hillsides, not a tiller in the fields. 
Even the great gates of Jericho were shut as tight 
as on that memorable morning when Joshua and 
his host encircled them. 

In one way the seemingly utter desertion of the 
country was an aid to Jamin. No hand was there 
to oppose his headlong flight. But the stillness was 
oppressive. It augured danger in the air. Had 
Jamin known, the explanation was simple enough; 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 219 


for the energetic ruler of Jerusalem had sent to 
Jericho and to all the other towns in the neighbor- 
hood, and called all the able-bodied men to the holy 
city, to hasten the work of rebuilding its walls. The 
timid ones left behind had closed the gates, not 
knowing who might enter when the city’s defenders 
were gone. 

In spite of the time that Jamin had lost while 
hiding from the Samaritan band, the six miles that 
lay between Jericho and the Jordan were swiftly 
traversed, and he swept on toward the opening of 
the pass leading up to Jerusalem. 

From time immemorial the road from Jericho to 
Jerusalem had been a hard and dangerous one, and 
Jamin’s fear that trouble would meet him in the 
defile was only too well founded ; for as Neko went 
thundering up the road, suddenly half a dozen horse- 
men sprang up from either side. They clutched 
his horse’s bridle, and Jamin knew that he was a 
prisoner. 

“ Stab the boy and take the horse ! ” one said ; 
but the other answered : — 

“ Not so fast ! Sanballat may gain information 
from him. Let us take him to the king. He seems 
to have ridden hard and long.” 

“ Very well,” was the answer, and in a minute 


220 


NEHE. 


Jamin was being led forward through the armed 
crowd, until, turning a steep, sharp corner of the 
mountain path, he found himself in a large open 
space encircled by mountains and covered with men, 
some on horseback and some on foot ; but all were 
well armed, and Jamin knew, without being told, 
that he had reached the rendezvous appointed by 
Sanballat. There was only one tent set up in the 
camp, and toward this Jamin was hastily led. Here, 
seated on the ground in the doorway, was an old 
man. He was dressed in a beautifully embroidered 
robe. His hair was as white as the turban which 
rested on it, and his snowy beard flowed down 
almost to his waist. His face was seamed with 
many marks that age and care had placed there, but 
his small, cunning eyes gleamed with as much fire 
as did those of the young warriors who were grouped 
around him. 

In spite of his age, the venerable man wore such 
an air of majesty that Jamin instinctively knew that 
he stood in the presence of the great king of Sama- 
ria, Sanballat, the man whose cunning and power 
had so long kept Jerusalem at the mercy of her 
enemies. 

The men who had captured Jamin explained 
where they had found their captive, adding that they 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 221 


had brought him to the king, thinking he might 
be able to give some information that would be of 
use. 

When they had finished, Sanballat said briefly : — 

“ Show me the horse.” 

Neko, who had been quietly cropping the grass 
at some distance, was led to the king. Sanballat 
looked at the noble animal carefully, his eyes kin- 
dling with admiration as he noted her excellent 
points and her beautiful form. Then, turning to 
Jamin, he said sternly: — 

“ Boy, tell me who you are, where you came from, 
and where you were going with a valuable horse 
like that. I shall know if you lie to me.” 

For a moment a great wave of fear swept over 
Jamin, and he dared not say a word. Then he 
gathered his courage and answered simply : — 

“ My lord, I am only a boy living in the desert, 
but the Sheik Imbrim, my master, is good to me, 
and allows no hand but mine to tend his favorite 
horse. A week ago came messengers from the great 
king, Sanballat, calling on our tribe to join with 
other tribes in an expedition against Jerusalem. 
Last night the red beacon that was to assemble us 
flamed up and burned on the mountains of Moab, 
and this morning our tribe started to join Sanballat. 


222 


NEHE. 


Neko is such a swift runner that we distanced the 
tribe, and now I am on my way up the mountains 
to find my father, bearing the message that was 
given me. It is of great importance. Send a 
guard, O chieftain, and you will see my tribe ap- 
proaching along the mountain passes, and let me 
go forward, that I may find my father, and deliver 
the message before Sheik Imbrim arrives.” 

Sanballat was so pleased to know his expected 
allies were fast approaching that he did not closely 
analyze the boy’s story. 

“ Here,” he said to the two warriors who had 
brought him in, “ the boy tells the truth. The horse 
belongs to Imbrim, the Arab sheik. I know her 
well. Let him mount and be off again about his 
master’s business, but do you go with him. The 
sheik should know that the roads these days are 
not safe for striplings to travel. Many a dead body 
lies between here and Jerusalem, short as the dis- 
tance is. But be off with you ! Guard him and 
the horse well, and bring them back in safety.” 

Scarcely believing his ears for joy, Jamin mounted 
his horse, and the three set forward on the Jerusalem 
road. 

For the first few miles after leaving the Samaritan 
camp, Jamin was glad of the protection of the two 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 223 


armed men, for they met several bands of soldiers 
going down to join Sanballat’s army. 

On and on they went, climbing ever higher and 
higher, until at last, as the shadows began to 
lengthen, the soldiers grew more and more impatient, 
and plied Jamin with questions which he would have 
found difficult to answer, had not his boyish wit 
come to the rescue. He pretended not to hear or 
understand most of what was said to him. They 
were nearing Mount Olivet now, and Jamin knew 
that when its height was reached, the part he was 
playing would be no longer possible, and he won- 
dered how he would escape, but when the time came 
it was easier than he could have imagined ; for when 
at last a bend in the road led them to the other side 
of the hill, the soldiers checked their horses with a 
cry of astonishment. Two hundred feet below them, 
and across the valley at the foot of which ran the 
brook Kedron, shone the holy city, in the rays of 
the setting sun. 

How beautiful Jerusalem was, with its palm trees 
and gardens, and its temple, — white, pure, and glori- 
ous, — rising tall and stately. But it was not the 
sight of that magnificent building, nor of the or- 
chards and flower gardens, that called forth the cry 
of astonishment from the men. It was the walls of 


224 


NEHE. 


Jerusalem, the Holy City. Like as the mountains 
are round about Jerusalem, so the walls now en- 
circled her. No longer rubbish heaps, they rose 
strong and massive, and the soldiers of Sanballat 
gazed at them with dismay. 

“ By the beard of my father ! ” said one, “ is this 
the wall that Tobiah said would give way if a fox 
were to spring upon it ? Truly, we have need of 
all our cunning, for unless we take the city by sur- 
prise, we take it not at all.” 

“ And by surprise we shall take it,” rejoined the 
other. “See, among all the thousands who are at 
work, not one carries even so much as a sword. 
’Twould be an easy matter to enter to-morrow night 
through yonder open gate.” 

“ Easy enough, truly,” answered the first. “ But 
I go no farther on this search for yon lad’s father. 
Hark ye, boy ! back we go, for you have been mis- 
leading us. I don’t believe you are going to your 
father at all.” 

And he reached forth his mighty hand to turn the 
horse. 

For the last half hour Jamin had been reserving 
all his energies for just such a moment as had now 
come. Digging his bare heels into Neko’s sides, 
he flung himself flat along the horse’s back, and 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 225 


darted away from beneath the man’s outstretched 
hand like an arrow from a bow. 

“ I do go to my father ! ” he shouted back ; and 
then, lying close to the horse, he panted, “ Go, Neko, 
go! Run, run I ” 

For an instant the men gazed after him, too aston- 
ished for pursuit; then, realizing what had hap- 
pened, they, too, dug their heels into their horses’ 
sides, and sped after the flying boy. 

Then began a short, fierce chase. Down into the 
valley of Jehoshaphat they thundered, over the 
brook Kedron, and up the other side. How Neko 
ran! Her face was almost human in intelligence 
and beauty, as with distended nostrils and flashing 
eyes she tore on toward the wide-open gate of Jeru- 
salem. How her rider clung to her, and could do 

nothing else but cling, panting and exhausted, as 

Neko flew along, excited to her best speed by the 

frantic cries of the soldiers behind her ! 

No need to urge her now, brave little rider, al- 
though she is running a fearful race, tired with her 
long day’s journey over desert and mountain. But 
she has never been beaten, proud beauty that she 
is, and she will not be beaten now. So the three 
dash on toward the city. 

“Send an arrow after him, Ishmael!” shouted 


226 


NEHE. 


one of the pursuers, reining up his own horse, when 
Jamin was within a hundred yards of the open gate. 
“ The little traitor will escape us ! ” 

As Ishmael fitted an arrow to the bowstring, Jamin 
turned on his pursuers with a cry of exultation. 

“ Jerusalem is saved ! ” he called. “ I will warn the 
city ! ” 

But even as he spoke the soldier drew his bow- 
string. The arrow sped to its mark and buried 
itself in the lad’s shoulder. With a cry of despair 
Jamin sank lower on Neko’s neck, as the huge gate 
swung to in his face. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 227 


CHAPTER XXII. 

SHORT time before Jamin and the two Sa- 



JL JL maritan soldiers stood on the Mount of Olives 
and gazed upon Jerusalem, Lord Nehe, the ruler of 
the city, and his brother, Hanani, were walking 
toward the newly finished gate, which was to be 
closed for the first time that night. 

As they approached the walls. Lord Nehe said : — 

“ How rapidly they grow ! It seems scarcely pos- 
sible that it is only a month since I rode this way 
in the moonlight, and found the wall broken and 
destroyed in so many places that it did not afford 
the least protection to the city, and every gate had 
been consumed by fire. I remember I turned back 
and entered by this very gate of the valley, and as 
I rode over the heaps of rubbish, in many spots there 
was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 
You would not believe it, looking at the wall along 
here now, would you, Hanani ? See, the valley gate 
is quite ready to shut. Hanun has done good work 
upon it. We shall have it closed at sunset to see 


228 


NEHE. 


how it works. How strong are the locks and the 
bolts and the bars ! 

“Yes,” answered Hanani, looking carefully at the 
splendid gate. . “ The cedars of Lebanon that were 
sent to you by the keepers of the king’s forest have 
certainly been used with wonderful skill. I thought 
the gate of Uzziel, the goldsmith, would be the finest 
of all, but this is just as good.” 

The men who were at work at the gate, putting on 
the finishing touches, listened respectfully to Nehe’s 
words of praise, and one of them, who seemed to be 
in charge, said : — 

“ Will you not go up on the wall, O governor ? 
We shall shut the gate in a few minutes.” 

“Most gladly,” replied Nehe; and then, addressing 
his brother, he said, “ Come, let us go up, Hanani, 
and there we can see how Shallum comes on with 
his work.” 

They mounted the wall, where they were soon 
joined by Shallum, the ruler of the half part of Jeru- 
salem, and his two beautiful daughters, Miriam and 
Rachel, who had come to watch their father as he 
directed the labor on his portion of the wall. 

As Shallum stood talking to Nehe, Miriam advanced 
to the edge of the wall and looked off toward Mount 
Olivet. Suddenly she turned to Hanani. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 229 


“My lord,” she cried, “do you see that cloud of 
dust coming down the mountain toward the brook? 
Who do you suppose it can be that rides so fast and 
furiously ? ” 

Hanani gazed earnestly in the direction in which 
she pointed. Then he turned to his brother. 

“Nehe,” he cried, “these Samaritans grow more 
audacious every day. See, they are chasing some 
one straight up to the very gates of Jerusalem ! ” 

Nehe and Shallum hastened to join the two who 
were watching the race, and in the interest it excited 
quite forgot the closing of the gate for which they 
had been waiting, and for which preparations were 
being hastened below. 

“The rider in front is only a boy!” the girl cried, 
turning to Hanani, as pursuers and pursued came 
into plainer sight. “He is only a boy, and such a 
little fellow at that I ” 

“Oh,” exclaimed Nehe, excitedly, “they are going 
to shoot. I wish I had my bow ! The wretches are 
going to shoot the child ! ” 

Nearer and nearer dashed the horses, until the 
foremost one had almost reached them. More and 
more eagerly watched the little group on the wall, 
and a groan escaped them all as they heard the 
closing of the gate, and saw, by the crimson stain 


230 


NEHE. 


that appeared on the boy’s robe, that the arrow had 
hit its mark. 

Poor little fellow ! ” Rachel exclaimed, as she 
wrung her hands in agony. ‘‘They will kill him 
now ! See, they are dashing forward again.” 

But Hanani turned with parted lips. 

“ Nehe ! ” he panted, “ quick I Call to them to 
open the gate ! Quick, Nehe ! The boy is my son ! 
It is Jamin ! ” 

Nehe rushed to the edge of the wall, and, leaning 
over, shouted : — 

“ Open the gate ! Haste, haste ! Open the gate ! ” 
And then the whole party fled below. 

Hanani was the first to reach the ground, and just 
as he did so the startled men pulled back the bolts 
and bars, and the ponderous gate swung wide. 
Scarcely had it cleared the roadway when a magnifi- 
cent Arab horse sprang in, and Neko and her faint- 
ing rider were safe from their enemies ; for the 
Samaritans, after sending one or two arrows through 
the open gateway, hastily withdrew, knowing their 
prey had escaped them. 

A dozen hands were outstretched to catch Neko 
as she stood with dilated nostrils and flashing eyes, 
and head tossed back as if she would say, “ See ! I 
have won the race ! ” but only one pair of arms 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 231 


received the little form that was slipping from her 
back. 

‘‘Jamin, Jamin ! ” Hanani cried; '‘my son, don’t 
you know your father ? ” 

The boy’s beautiful eyes unclosed. 

“ Father,” he said faintly, “ up ! The Samaritans 
and Arabs be upon you in the night ! Mother sent 
me and — her — ” 

But the faltering voice stopped, and the pale lids 
closed over the dark eyes, and Jamin lay as if dead in 
his father’s arms. 

Hanani turned to Nehe. 

“Heard you that message, Nehemiah he cried. 
“ It was to avert no slight danger that Hannah ven- 
tured the child’s life ! Do you warn and arm the 
city, while I carry the boy to my mother.” 

And Hanani turned and ran hastily in the direc- 
tion of the palace. 

He soon reached the beautiful white marble edifice 
that King Solomon had built for his own royal resi- 
dence, but which was now used by the governors 
appointed by the Persian monarch. 

Pressing his little burden close to his heart, 
Hanani fled up the long flight of white marble 
steps, and crossed the porch, whose tall cedar 
pillars still remained a monument to the friendship 


232 


NEHE. 


existing between Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solo- 
mon. 

Turning to a Persian slave who stood in the door- 
way, he asked : — 

“ Where is the Lady Sarai ? ” 

On receiving his answer, She partakes of the 
evening meal, my lord,” he directed his steps to the 
magnificent apartment that, in spite of the ravages 
of the Babylonians and Persians, still held many 
remains of its former grandeur. Huge blocks of 
marble, magnificently carved, formed a part of 
the wall, while the ceiling above was painted and 
set with the same beautiful, colored stones. Long, 
narrow tables were placed lengthwise along the room, 
and were set with gold and silver dishes, while around 
them, on couches covered with silken robes, reclined 
the honored members of Nehe’s household, the hun- 
dred and fifty of the Jews and rulers who daily par- 
took of the bounty of the young governor. 

Passing through this apartment, Hanani entered a 
smaller one, where the ladies of Nehe’s household 
were gathered. This room was furnished similarly 
to the larger one, and at the head table Lady Sarai 
was just finishing her meal, and beside her reclined 
Bani. She looked up as Hanani rushed in, and 
instantly went forward to meet him. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 233 


“Mother,” he cried, “God has sent me back my 
son, but if he be living or dead, I know not. What 
shall I do ? ” 

Sarai parted the blood-stained robe and put her 
ear over the boy’s heart. 

“ He has only fainted, Hanani,” she said. “ Lay 
him here on this couch and sprinkle water on his 
face, while I stanch the blood. See,” she con- 
tinued, as she drew down the dusty, blood-stained 
robe, “ the wound is but a scratch. Give him wine 
and water, and he will soon open his eyes.” 

What a joyful little group it was that gathered 
around the couch in Lady Sarai’ s room an hour later, 
and listened to the story Jam in told ! Sarai bent 
over him on one side, and Hanani on the other, 
while Bani seemed to be everywhere at once, trying 
to caress his brother. 

“ I thought you were never coming back,” he 
said ; “ I thought you had runned away ! ” 

Over and over Hanani made Jamin repeat Han- 
nah’s last message, and then questioned him, with 
hungry, eager eyes, as to how she looked, and was 
she well, and did she talk of him } 

“ I will go for her to-morrow,” he declared. “ Not 
all of Sanballat’s armies shall stand between me and 
my wife,” 


234 


NEHE. 


At last Lady Sarai drew him almost forcibly 
away. 

‘‘The boy must rest,” she declared, “and Nehe- 
miah needs you. He has sent word that he is working 
hard getting the city ready for the attack, which he 
expects either to-night or in the morning.” 

Obeying the Lady Sarai, Hanani reluctantly left 
Jamin quietly sleeping, and went out to the steps 
of the temple, where, in the light of a glorious full 
moon, a large concourse of people had gathered. 

As Hanani joined the assembly, he saw that Nehe 
was about to begin speaking. His tall, graceful form 
stood erect and fearless in the moonlight, and his 
voice rang out strong and brave. 

The people crowded about him, listening with 
respectful eagerness to his words. Their shouts of 
applause proved how heartily they honored and 
respected him. 

“Men and brethren,” he said, “my speech shall 
be brief, for our time is short. The couriers who 
called you here told you that danger threatens. A 
brave young messenger brought us word to-night, at 
the peril of his life, that beyond the mountains of 
Olivet, Sanballat is gathering the enemies of Jerusa- 
lem, who hope to take us by surprise at the dawn of 
to-morrow. Hence, hasten every man to his home. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 235 


rest until midnight, and then come, fully armed, to 
the walls, and we will show these heathen dogs that 
Jerusalem is not to be surprised.” 

“Is the work, then, to cease, my lord.^^” called a 
voice from the crowd. 

“ Nay,” answered Nehe, his eyes flashing and his 
words ringing clear and decided. “ Once we have 
shown our foes our strength, they will depart. After 
that we shall always be prepared for them. Every 
man must arm himself. Let those that bear burdens 
carry a spear. Let the men who lay the stones have 
each his sword girded by his side, but let half the 
men of every family come armed from head to foot, 
carrying also the bows and spears and shields of the 
ones at work. So shall every family defend its own 
members, and its own part of the wall, and our work 
shall not be interrupted.” 

“But the wall is great and large,” objected another 
in the throng ; “ and if they attack us in a weak spot, 
what shall we do ” 

“I will go constantly from one part to another,” 
Nehe said, “and a trumpeter shall be by me; and 
when the enemy threatens any part of the wall, you 
will hear the sound of the trumpet. Then rush there, 
and remember, our God shall fight for us also.” 

Nehe added a few other directions about their arm- 


236 


NEHE. 


ing and the place of meeting, and then dismissed the 
assembly, with these last words : — 

“ Be ye not afraid of them ! Remember the Lord, 
which is great and terrible, and now go, and fight for 
your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your 
wives and your homes.” 

With a shout that reached even to the far-off camp 
of Sanballat, the people answered : — 

“ We will, we will ! ” 

And so the assembly broke up, to meet at mid- 
night, fully armed, on the half-built walls of Jerusalem. 

Long before the first faint streaks of light had crept 
down into the steep valleys that led up to the city, 
the armies of Sanballat and his allies were advancing 
swiftly but cautiously. 

They hoped to take Jerusalem entirely by surprise, 
for the utmost pains had been taken to keep the 
intended assault a secret. Indeed, so great had been 
Sanballat’s care, that the two men who had allowed 
Jamin to escape on the night before had not dared 
to return with the tale of their loss ; and the king, 
when they failed to come back, merely decided that 
they had stolen Neko and run off with her. 

Great was the surprise and chagrin, therefore, of 
the crafty old king, when the first beams of golden 
sunlight that gilded the huge half-built walls showed 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 237 


every low and every high place crowned with glitter- 
ing spears and swords. 

No room was here for surprise and easy conquest. 
Instead of being able to rush into the city, overpower- 
ing a few laborers who might be about ready to begin 
work, the hosts of Sanballat found that they must 
face a city alive to its danger. Trumpets were sound- 
ing, banners floating, and rank on rank of those ter- 
rible spears were to be faced. 

Dismayed and disheartened, the king led his armies 
back down the valley, and disbanded them without 
firing an arrow or sending a spear against Jeru- 
salem. 

“ The God of the Hebrews has brought our coun- 
sel to naught,” he said; ‘*we must try to gain the 
city in some other way than by force of arms.” 

In the meantime great was the rejoicing within the 
walls, as the dreaded armies of Sanballat were seen 
in full retreat. Although the enemy was gone. Lord 
Nehe urged that no precautions be laid aside, and that 
the work go swiftly on. It was immediately resumed, 
and now the men worked with almost feverish impa- 
tience. No one stopped save to eat and rest. Day 
and night the walls rose steadily. Day and night the 
utmost vigilance was exercised. 

“ For neither I,” wrote the brave and wise young 


238 


NEHE. 


ruler, in that marvellous diary of his, from which so 
much of this story has been taken, “ nor my brethren, 
nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which fol- 
lowed me ; none of us put off our clothes, saving that 
every one put them off for washing ! ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 239 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

O NE clear, cool autumn morning, about a week 
after Jamin’s return to Jerusalem, Lord Nehe 
and Adna stepped out upon the beautiful, wide 
portico of the palace. Just as they were about to 
descend the steps, the governor remembered the 
specifications for a gate which he had mislaid. He 
sent an attendant back for them, and as the two 
young men stood there waiting in the early light, 
one who had known them in Susa could not have 
failed to notice the great change in them since 
that first night when Nehe stood in the palace 
garden and Adna came to join him there. 

All the soft, boyish beauty was gone from Lord 
Nehe’s face, and even the tender, wistful look that 
had rested there when he appealed to the king for 
permission to rebuild the walls of the city of his 
fathers had vanished, and its place had been taken 
by an alert, determined expression. Intense re- 
solve and absolute fearlessness looked out from his 
courageous brown eyes. The very poise of his 


240 


NEHE. 


graceful form betokened strength and action, and 
when he spoke there was a clear, decided ring in 
his voice that instantly commanded the respectful 
attention of all who heard it. As he stood, his 
eyes rested alternately on the walls of the city and 
on its streets that were fast filling with hurrying 
crowds of people. 

See, Adna,” he said, turning to his armor-bearer, 
who was gazing off toward the eastern hills, ‘‘one 
would scarcely know this beehive for the mole-hill 
it was when we came here a month ago. Do you 
remember how sleepy and dead it was then ? A 
man dared hardly venture abroad before the middle 
of the day, not knowing what foes might lurk in 
the piles of rubbish. Now, to look at those crowds, 
it would seem that no one could be left at home. 
See, even the children are hurrying to the walls, 
carrying the arms of their fathers.” 

“True, my lord,” Adna answered, bringing his 
gaze back from the hills and looking at Lord 
Nehe. “ Your coming has made a wonderful 
change in Jerusalem. O my lord, if only Lydia 
had lived to come to this city, how safe and happy 
we should be ! ” 

His voice was inexpressibly sad, and his white 
face showed the passionate pain that racked him. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 241 

“Safe, Adna?” Lord Nehe replied, his face soft- 
ening as he glanced at his favorite, the armor- 
bearer. “Was Hanani’s wife safe.^ Has my 
brother no burden of sorrow to carry ? Had my 
mother none, nor the thousands of other Jews who 
lived in Babylon and Susa ? ” 

“True, my lord,” again answered the armor- 
bearer; “but peace is dawning for Jerusalem, and 
happiness is in store for its inhabitants, and my 
heart cannot forget.” 

“And yet,” said Lord Nehe, “every day our 
enemies try by some fresh plot to stop the work. 
The wall was built so rapidly that they found it 
impossible to surprise us before such a thing was 
out of their power. Then you know how they tried 
to entrap me into a consultation in the Plain of 
Ono. But their latest scheme gives me more 
trouble than anything else.” 

“ What is that, my lord ? ” Adna asked respect- 
fully. 

“I have just learned, through a faithful spy, that 
Sanballat has written a letter, to which he has 
obtained the signatures of the governors of all the 
provinces on this side of the river.” 

“ And is the letter to your hurt, my lord ? ” 
questioned Adna. 


242 


NEHE. 


Why else should it be written ? ” Nehe asked 
bitterly. Despairing of stopping our work by 
force, Sanballat is trying to poison the king’s 
mind against me by writing to him that the Jews 
have always been a stiff-necked and rebellious 
people ; that once we were the proud owners of all 
these lands ; and that if we succeed in rebuilding 
our city, assuredly we will rebel against Artaxerxes 
and repossess ourselves of our lost possessions.” 

“ It is a cruel and unjust letter ! ” Adna ex- 
claimed vehemently. 

“And yet,” added Nehe, smiling slightly, “there 
is so much truth in its statements that I know 
that when the king reads it, he will command us to 
stop work at once. Therefore, I am pushing the 
building of the walls forward day and night, pray- 
ing that before the order comes for us to cease 
building, they will be high enough to protect 
Jerusalem for generations to come.” 

“ I think you will succeed, my lord,” Adna 
added. “Surely never before rose walls as these 
have risen.” 

“Yes,” said Nehe, “and I feel as if I must give 
them every moment of my time. So I want you 
to bear my greetings to the Lady Sarai. Inquire 
for the health of the boy Jamin, and tell of the 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 243 


plot which necessitates my constant presence on 
the wall.’^ 

So saying, Nehe strode down the marble stairs 
into the city, while Adna turned his steps toward 
the house of the women to deliver the message. 
This was the same beautiful edifice that Solomon 
had built for his favorite wife, the daughter of 
Pharaoh, and although the Babylonians had burned 
it with fire, so much remained of its marble walls 
and floors and porticoes that successive Persian 
governors had been tempted to rebuild it, so that 
it was once more a magnificent structure ; and, to 
Adna’s eyes, the simplicity of its pure white 
marble walls and floors seemed more beautiful 
than the gorgeous, gilded palace of the Persian 
king. No huge eunuch, with unsheathed sword, 
stood guard at the doorway of the Lady Sarai’s 
apartments. Instead, a dainty little maiden, clad 
in a white garment, drew aside the curtains and 
softly bade him enter. 

The room was simply but tastefully furnished. A 
few low couches, a few cushions scattered about, 
among which stood spinning-wheels and embroidery 
frames, showed that Lady Sarai looked well to the 
ways of her household, and, early as it was, already 
many maidens had seated themselves for their daily 


244 


NEHE. 


task, their bright faces and cheerful voices seeming 
in harmony with the lovely morning. 

Lady Sarai came forward to greet Adna, and in 
a few words he conveyed to her Lord Nehe’s greet- 
ing and message. She thanked him graciously, 
and in reply to his inquiries, said that Jamin’s wound 
was entirely healed, and that he was fast recovering 
his strength. 

Adna bowed and turned to go, but a sudden 
impulse made him look back. As he did so, he 
’:aught sight of a slight girlish figure seated at a 
spinning-wheel in a distant corner. There was 
something about the graceful poise of her head 
and gesture of her hand as. she lifted the flax, 
that made Adna clench his hands in sudden 
pain. 

Then turning to Lady Sarai, he said softly : — 

‘‘ My lady, ever since we reached Jerusalem, I 
have longed to ask you about the boy Ariel. He 
is safe and well, I hope ? ” 

“Yes,” Lady Sarai replied, “he is safe and well.” 

But the answer did not seem entirely to satisfy 
the young man. 

“You know,” he went on, “that I am to return 
with the escort when Lord Nehe sends it back to 
Susa. I had hoped to see the l^d before I go, 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 245 


Lady Sarai. He greatly endeared himself to me 
in the few days I watched over him.” 

It was Sarai’s turn to hesitate, and her eyes sought 
the floor instead of Adna’s as she answered : — 

“The lad does not wish to see you, Adna. His 
peril was, as you suspected, very great.” Her voice 
grew lower still. “He was, and is, a fugitive from 
the king. But I will bear him your message, and 
if he has any to return, I will give it to you.” 

Again Adna bowed, and turned away with a dis- 
satisfied look. Then, catching sight of a water 
bottle which was standing on a table in a distant 
part of the room, near the maid whose form had 
attracted his attention, he said courteously : — 

“I am very thirsty, my lady; may I have a drink .^” 
And without waiting for her answer, “Yes, one 
of the maidens will bring it to you,” he hurriedly 
crossed the room and poured himself a cup of water. 
As he did so he turned, and his eyes searched, with 
an eager, anxious glance, for the face of the girl 
whose form had aroused such a tumult of emotion 
within him. But the soft folds of her veil had 
interposed themselves between his eyes and the face 
he was seeking. 

“Ariel,” he called softly, bending toward her; 


“ Ariel 1” 


246 


NEHE. 


The girl made a swift motion, as if about to rise ; 
then sank back, and quietly continued her spinning. 

‘‘Ariel,” he called again, “Ariel, my lad, do you 
know I am going back to Susa ? ” 

The boy, if boy it was, dropped the flax and 
turned his head toward Adna with a startled gesture, 
but made no further motion, and he turned sadly 
away. 

Retracing his steps to Lady Sarai, who was gaz- 
ing at him with a startled look, he said : — 

“Was Ariel’s peril so great, my lady, that he 
must go disguised as a girl ? ” 

“ I told you it was very great,” Lady Sarai 
answered softly; “and although there are no spies 
in my Lord Nehe's palace, until you return with 
the soldiers of King Artaxerxes, it will be best for 
Ariel not to be seen.* 

And Adna bowed and left the apartment. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 247 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

HE following morning Lord Nehe was on that 



X part of the wall which enclosed Ophel, when 
he was joined by his brother Hanani. Nehe’s 
grave eyes lighted with approval as they searched 
the bright, handsome face that Hanani turned 
toward him. 

“ How fast the wall goes up, Nehe,” Hanani said, 
greeting him. “Surely you will not build it much 
higher. It must be forty-five cubits now, is it 


not.?” 


“Right to a cubit,” Nehe answered; “forty-five 
high and ten wide, besides this tower which lies out, 
in which Palal, the son of Uzai, intends to live, 
ril tell you what it is, Hanani,” he continued, 
smiling, “I am afraid that by the time these walls 
are finished I shall have elevated the whole Hebrew 
nation, for the city is large and great and the houses 
are not builded, and I have had to put so large a 
part of the population to man the towers on the 


248 


NEHE. 


‘*It does seem odd,” Hanani said, turning and 
looking toward the temple, shining white and glori- 
ous in the sunlight, “ how empty the streets are 
of houses. What are you going to do to fill the 
city ? ” 

“That is not bothering me,” Nehe replied. “I 
shall persuade the owners of farms and vineyards 
to live within the city’s walls. It will be safer 
for them and for us. But did you hear of the 
strange experience I had last night .^ ” 

“ No,” said Hanani ; “ how should I ? ” 

“True,” assented Nehe; “I think that no one 
knows it but myself. Lean here on the parapet 
and I will tell it to you.” 

The two young men stood looking down into 
the King’s Dale, while Adna and the trumpeter 
drew near, and Nehe related his experience of the 
night before. 

“It was just after the evening meal,” said the 
governor, “when I received a message asking me 
to go to Shemaiah, for he had been inquiring of 
the Lord for me, and had received an answer. I 
cannot tell you, Hanani,” Lord Nehe went on, his 
eyes growing soft and wistful with intense feeling, 
“how I have longed for a message from the Lord 
through one of His prophets. It has been so long 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 249 


since He has spoken ! Hence the summons from 
Shemaiah filled me with gladness, and I hastened 
to his house. On arriving there, I was ushered at 
once into his presence. I found an old, old man, 
dressed in the garments of a priest, but when I 
advanced and knelt for his blessing, the light in 
his eyes startled me. Surely never a message from 
the Lord Most High kindled a fire like that in a 
man’s eye, I thought. But I waited, kneeling, for 
the message. 

“ * My son,’ he said, ‘ thine enemies have gained 
entrance to the city, disguised as laborers and 
farmers. The Lord has revealed to me that this 
night your life will be in deadly peril. Safety for 
you can be found only in the temple. Haste, then, 
my son, and hide you in the holy of holies ! ’ ” 

‘‘ How did you answer him ? ” Hanani asked, 
bending eagerly forward. 

“I rose up fierce and scornful,” Nehe replied, 
his eyes kindling at the remembrance, “and I 
answered him, ‘ No, it is not my God who sent 
me this warning, you man of sin ; but Tobiah 
and Sanballat, who have hired you. Should such 
a man as I flee.^ And if I were to take refuge in 
the temple, even to save my life, I should lose it, 
for no man may enter the holy of holies and live. 


250 


NEHE. 


save the high priest only, and he once a year. This 
you well know.’ And, hot with indignation, I turned 
and left him.” 

“You answered him well, Nehe,” Hanani said 
sympathetically. “Now, what answer have you for 
me, my brother, to my request ? ” 

“ And what may your request be, Hanani ? ” 

“ What could it be,” Hanani cried vehemently, 
“save this, that you give me permission to seek my 
wife.^ No one knows with what impatience I have 
waited for the time when Jamin should be able to 
lead us back to his mother.” 

“ And he is well enough to go now ? ” Nehe 
inquired. 

“Fully, I think,” Hanani said; “ and if you will 
give me but fifty of the Persian guard, I will take 
them and start to-morrow on my quest.” 

“You may have them,” Nehe said, sighing a 
little. “You know, brother, I am expecting every 
day a message from Artaxerxes, commanding us 
to cease building the wall, and every man’s labor 
counts ; but, as you say, your journey will take 
you only two days. Have you a present for the 
sheik } ” 

“ Yes,” was the reply, “ I have prepared a beauti- 
fully embroidered robe, and a drachm of gold. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 251 


Mother has made ready a litter, and has laid in it 
garments fit for a princess. Oh, Nehe, how beauti- 
ful she will be when you see her! I can fancy 
her now, stepping down from her litter to greet 
you, clad in white silk, with a golden girdle, with 
her eyes like stars, and her two boys clinging to 
her.” 

How proud Jamin was when early next morning he 
headed the little band of Persian soldiers, commanded 
by his father, and started on the journey to the oasis I 

How his joy bubbled over ! Did he know the 
road Of course he knew the road ! And if he 
didn’t, Neko did I And how glad his mother would 
be ! He pictured her in the tent, weaving, and watch- 
ing the caravan approaching over the desert. He 
wondered if it would be possible to surprise her, but 
he hardly thought it would. Oh, well, it would be 
joy enough just to see her, no matter how they found 
her. 

And so he talked on, and Hanani smiled sympa- 
thetically, with a joy that was deeper than any that 
even Jamin could feel, as the party sped forward, rid- 
ing swiftly down the mountain, over the wide, shal- 
low ford of the Jordan, then across the plain of Moab 
and through its mountain, and then plunged into the 
fierce heat of the desert. 


252 


NEHE. 


Many times during the ride Hanani had questioned 
Jamin anxiously : — 

Are you sure you know the way ? ” 

Every time the boy had answered bravely : — 

Sure, father ! Before evening you shall see the 
palm trees of the oasis, and my mother.” 

And so it was that just as their horses began to 
throw long shadows across the sand, suddenly Jamin, 
who was riding ahead with his father, exclaimed : — 

“ There they are, father ! There are the palm 
trees ! There is my mother ! ” 

And with a wild hurrah he leaned forward, patted 
Neko’s neck, and dashed away over the desert. 

With beating heart and fast-coming breath his 
father followed him. All fear of hostile Arabs — all 
care, all prudence — he cast to the winds. Hanani 
had but one thought. Beneath those palm trees was 
his wife. He must see her! He must reach her! 
And so he followed Jamin in his wild rush onward. 

But as he approached the oasis a vague uneasiness 
seized him. The palm trees waved their plumes more 
distinctly in the evening air. The velvet green carpet 
shone beneath their brown trunks. The soft call of 
birds came to him, but no sign of human inhabitants 
was here. 

As he rode into the oasis, Jamin, who was just 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 253 

before him, threw himself from his horse and turned 
a white, despairing face toward Hanani. 

“ Oh, father,” he cried, “ they are gone ! What shall 
we do ? ” 

But a moment later the boy stilled his own grief, 
overwhelmed by the sight of what his father was suf- 
fering ; for Hanani had thrown himself face downward 
on the grass, motionless and speechless, in an agony 
of grief. 

The soldiers rode quickly up and gathered around 
father and son with many exclamations of sympathy 
and conjectures as to where the Arabs had gone; but 
they soon discovered that not a clew remained to 
guide them in a further search. No roads crossed 
the trackless waste of the desert, and there seemed 
to be nothing to do but to return to Jerusalem. 


254 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XXV. 

WEEK had fled by since Jamin and his father 



jr\, had set out so joyfully on their search for 
Hannah and had returned in such great distress. 

On that evening, when the little party was seen 
approaching, Lord Nehe had ridden to meet them, 
carrying Bani on his horse in front of him. But one 
look into Jamin’s distressed face, as he drew near, told 
him the story, and without a word he had turned his 
horse and had ridden back with the little cavalcade, 
sad and disconsolate, into the city. 

Every moment of the governor’s time since then 
had been occupied. How the walls of the city grew, 
tall, strong, and stately ! There was not a break in 
their continuous length now. And how the Jews 
worked ! The first rays of the morning sun that 
leaped over Mount Olivet showed crowds of eager 
men busy with trowel and mortar and hoisting 
machine, and arrow and spear and shield were ever 
close at hand. And everywhere Lord Nehe went, 
clad in a complete suit of burnished brass. With 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 255 


shining helmet and glittering shield, he seemed the 
very embodiment of the spirit of watchfulness and 
war. 

And when the stars appeared at night, the workers 
were still there, loath to leave the task on which their 
hearts were set. 

During this week Lord Nehe scarcely saw his 
mother, and so one day, when his imperious young 
voice was heard in the corridor of the women’s house, 
demanding the Lady Sarai, she herself drew aside 
the curtain of her small private apartment, and bade 
him enter. There was no one in the room but a 
handmaid, busily engaged at an embroidery frame ; 
and, without looking toward her, Nehe turned to the 
Lady Sarai, catching both her hands in his own. 

“What do you think, mother.?” he cried gayly ; 
“Sanballat has at last persuaded the king to order 
us to cease work on the walls. The letter has just 
arrived by a special messenger. Not another gate 
is to be set up, not another bolt or bar is to be put 
in place. The work is to stop — absolutely stop — 
as soon as I have read this letter.” 

And he drew from his wallet two burnt bricks, 
curiously inscribed, which he held out to her. 

The Lady Sarai cast a distressed look at her son. 

“You are commanded to stop the work, Nehe.?” 


256 


NEHE. 


she said questioningly. “Then why are you so 
glad ? ” 

An almost boyish laugh broke from Nehe’s lips. 

“ Because the work is finished, mother,” he cried. 
“ Every gate has been set up. Every bolt and bar is 
in place. Strong and broad and mighty, the walls 
are built around Jerusalem. My mission is accom- 
plished. Our city is safe from its foes.” 

Then, raising his head, he looked toward heaven 
and exclaimed: — 

“ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and 
spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy ! ” 

“Amen,” the Lady Sarai said softly, and then she 
added, “ Oh, my son, I can scarcely realize that at last 
Jerusalem is safe from her enemies.” 

“ Safe from those who would enter from without, 
mother,” the young man said, his bright brow cloud- 
ing. “ My great fear now is that enemies may enter 
through the hearts of the people.” 

“ What do you mean, Nehe ? ” the Lady Sarai 
asked anxiously. 

“I mean the terrible danger that the Hebrew 
youths will marry the beautiful heathen girls with 
whom they are constantly thrown in contact. It 
will never do, mother,” he added passionately ; “ our 
only safety lies in separating ourselves from the 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 257 

heathen about us. Did not Solomon, king of Israel, 
sin on account of these women ? Yet among many 
nations there was no king like him, who was beloved 
of his God, and God made him king over all Israel. 
Nevertheless, even him did outlandish women cause 
to sin.” 

‘‘True, Nehe,” Lady Sarai said quietly. “There 
was no law kept more carefully by the Jews in cap- 
tivity than that which forbade them to marry heathen 
women.” 

“Yes,” Nehe added meditatively, “that was the 
only thing that ever reconciled me to the death of 
Lydia. Had she lived, Adna would have wanted to 
marry her, and I should not have consented to it. 
It would not have been right.” 

The girl who was seated at the embroidery frame 
arose and took a step forward. She threw aside her 
veil, and her face shone out like a star. 

“ My lord,” she said, and her voice rang sweet and 
clear, “ I told you once before, my lord, I did not ask 
to marry Adna. I did but ask to love him.” 

With a cry of almost terrified astonishment Lord 
Nehe turned and gazed into the girl’s face. 

“ Lydia ! ” he exclaimed, “ are you living, or is it a 
spirit ? ” 

The girl dropped her veil and turned quickly away. 


NEHE. 


am but thy mother’s handmaiden Ariel,” she 
said quietly. The maiden Lydia, beloved by King 
Artaxerxes Longimanus, died and was buried in the 
land of Persia. I am but Ariel, my lord.” 

There was such a depth of sorrow in the girl’s 
words that any thought of reproach died from Lord 
Nehe’s mind, and he turned to his mother, say- 
ing:— 

“ What does it mean, mother.? Who is yon maiden ? 
Tell me ! I could swear she is Lydia, and yet I know 
Lydia is dead.” 

“ Best let her so remain, then,” Lady Sarai an- 
swered. “ It were best for her, for you, and for your 
armor-bearer. With his own arms Adna lifted Lydia’s 
drowned body from the river and carried it to his 
mother. At the following midnight he returned, and 
she put into his arms a body closely wrapped in bury- 
ing clothes. This he laid in the sepulchre of his 
fathers, and if this body were not that of the maiden 
Lydia, neither he nor you, nor any other of King 
Artaxerxes Longimanus’s trusted servants, knows to 
the contrary.” 

For a moment Lord Nehe stood gazing at Lady 
Sarai, as if overwhelmed by the words she had 
spoken. Then he crossed the room and knelt at the 
feet of the still standing maiden. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 259 

‘‘Ariel,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it, 
“heathen or Hebrew, spirit or maiden, you have the 
bravest, truest heart that ever beat in woman’s 
breast.” 

And, rising quietly, he walked from the room. 


26 o 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

I T was the ninth hour of the first day of the 
seventh month, and the maiden Ariel walked 
alone in the garden of the governor’s palace. It 
was very unusual for her to be there at that hour, 
though roses and lilies beckoned her, and birds 
of bright plumage, like lights thrown from a prism, 
flashed to and fro among the olive and myrtle trees. 

But Ariel had been left alone in the palace, and 
had endeavored in vain to interest herself in her cus- 
tomary morning occupations. Now, as she moved 
restlessly about the garden paths, she seemed as if 
fighting against some strong impulse. Parting the 
leaves of a rhododendron bush, she looked into its 
glossy depths. A thrush lifted its soft eyes and 
looked fearlessly up at her. As she stood gazing at 
it, the bird made no motion to stir from the nest on 
which it was sitting. 

As Ariel watched it, a tender, wistful look grew 
in her blue eyes. 

“Birdie,” she said softly, “I think it strange, 
don’t you, that the great Lord God who made you. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 261 


and made me, too, birdie, should have not forgotten 
you in His laws, and should have forgotten me. See 
how safely you sit there on your nest, because of 
the word He spoke about you so long ago, while I — 
I am only a heathen maid, and to-day, in all this 
great city, am the only one, save the Persian soldiers, 
who may not listen to the reading of His law.” 

The little bird settled closer on its nest, spreading 
its wings with a caressing motion, then looked up 
with a glad little chirp. Ariel then saw that the 
bird was not watching her, but something beyond 
her. Turning, she saw, perched on a branch of an 
olive tree above her, the bird’s mate, with a ripe 
mulberry in its mouth. Ariel drew aside with a 
little cry. 

“ And you have a mate, too, birdie,” she said ; 
*‘but I,” with a little catch in her voice, ''I shall 
never have one ! ” 

She clasped her little white hands together in 
mute distress, and moved on hastily down the gar- 
den walk. A bush of red roses caught her atten- 
tion, and she stopped and plucked a full-blown flower. 
Again she moved on until she reached the garden- 
gate. Here she hesitated a moment, and then, 
stepping timidly outside, she gazed at the deserted 
streets. 


262 


NEHE. 


“ Every one has gone,” she said to herself, aloud, 
as if seeking comfort in the sound of her own sweet 
voice. “It is only five days since Lord Nehe fin- 
ished building the walls, and already he is getting 
the people ready for the service of the temple.” 

Just then one of the guards of the palace turned 
the corner and approached her. Ariel hastily drew 
her veil, but the man knew, from the fineness of 
her white linen dress, that she was an inmate of 
the palace, and the sheen of her golden hair and 
the grace of her form, that showed even through the 
folds of her veil, told that she was young. 

The soldier lowered his long lance in respectful 
salute, and was passing on, when Ariel halted him. 

“Where are all the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
to-day.?” she asked. “There seems to be none 
abroad in the streets, nor yet in the houses.” 

Now the maiden Ariel knew very well where the 
inhabitants of the city were that day, and she had 
pleaded long and earnestly to be allowed to join 
the household of Lord Nehe when they went forth 
in the morning, but the Lady Sarai had refused to 
allow her to accompany them. 

“Ariel,” she said, “to-day the great scribe Ezra, 
who has spent years in searching them out, is to 
read the Jewish laws to the Jews. Thou art but 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 263 


a heathen girl, my child. These laws are not for 
you.” 

And Ariel had bowed her head in submission and 
turned away, but in her heart she was not submissive. 

“The God of the Hebrews is my God,” she said, 
“and I would be with His people this day when 
they learn of His laws.” 

The rebellious feeling that had taken root in her 
breast three hours ago had been growing ever since, 
and now, as she stopped the guard, it was with a 
wild hope that in some way he might be able to 
help her to carry out the desire that had taken pos- 
session of her. 

“All Jerusalem is gathered in the street that is 
before the water gate, my lady,” the soldier answered ; 
“and not the inhabitants of Jerusalem alone, but 
people from all the surrounding towns are there 
also. They say that never since the captivity have 
the Hebrews dared to leave their farms and villages, 
and come up in a body to Jerusalem, either to keep 
the feasts or to listen to the reading of the laws. 
But since my Lord Nehe has built these walls, in 
two and fifty days, great fear has fallen on all the 
surrounding nations, and the people have dared to 
leave their homes, without fear of molestation.” 

“Is it far to the water gate.!*” Ariel asked timidly. 


264 


NEHE. 


‘*It is but a little way,” the man answered. 
‘‘Were not the people listening so attentively to 
the great scribe, you could almost hear their breath- 
ing here. Hear you not a low, dull murmur } ’Tis 
the voices of the Levites, repeating the words of 
Ezra, so that all in the great concourse may hear 
and understand.” 

Ariel advanced a step nearer to the soldier, and 
almost whispered, as she said pleadingly : — 

“Could I — could I not join the host that is 
gathered there ? Would any one notice me ? ” 

“Of course you could join them,” the man re- 
plied good-naturedly. “You are not large enough 
to attract attention at any time, by your size, I 
think, my lady ; and the Hebrews are too occupied 
in listening to the reading to notice you to-day. I 
know not the ways of these Hebrews, but some- 
thing the great scribe was reading has touched them 
all strangely, and many a strong man’s tears were 
falling as he listened to the words of that wonderful 
scroll. It was time for me to take my place as 
guard at the palace, else I would not have left, my- 
self.” 

“Thank you,” Ariel said softly, and, turning, she 
hastened down the narrow, crooked street that led 
to the water gate. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 265 

In a very few minutes she had reached the wide 
open square that was used by the Jews as their 
favorite congregating place, and which lay before 
the water gate. The great square was crowded 
now with thousands on thousands of people. 
Fathers and mothers and children were gathered 
there, dressed in their Oriental robes of crimson 
and purple and blue, and were listening, in eager, 
painful intentness, to the words that a venerable 
man was reading to them from a scroll. He was 
standing on a wooden platform raised high above 
the heads of the people, at one end of the square. 
Beside him, on either hand, dressed in their robes 
of office, stood a body of priests. 

He read very slowly and clearly, with long pauses 
between his sentences, and during these pauses 
other priests, who were scattered through the vast 
assemblage, took up the words he had been saying, 
and repeated them to the crowd about them. 

For some time Ariel lingered on the outskirts 
of the concourse ; then, finding that she could hear 
distinctly, she leaned against one of the pillars of 
the entrance to the square, and, utterly forgetful 
of herself, listened intently to the words which fell 
from the lips of the aged scribe, and which the 
Levites were repeating. 


266 


NEHE. 


She scarcely comprehended the words she heard 
first, but presently, as she listened, she understood 
that Ezra was reading the directions given by God 
to the children of Israel when they came into the 
land of Canaan. Clear and distinct, above the heads 
of the multitude that lay between her and him, the 
words came floating, so clear and distinct, it seemed 
as if the words were meant for her alone : — 

“When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into 
the land whither thou goest to possess it, and have 
cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, 
the Gergashites, and the Amorites,” — and Ariel 
wondered vaguely to which of these people she 
belonged, as the list went on, — “ the Canaanites, 
the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, 
seven nations greater and mightier than thou ; and 
when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before 
thee, thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy 
them ; thou shalt make no covenant with them, 
nor show mercy unto them.” 

As the scribe’s clear, incisive tones fell on her 
ears, the girl shuddered, and almost clung to the 
pillar for support. She wished with all her heart 
she had not come. After all, it had been true 
kindness on Lady Sarai’s part to compel her to 
remain at home. Her mistress knew what words 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 267 


were to be read this day, and would spare the girl 
the pain of hearkening to them. 

As one who listens to his death sentence, Ariel’s 
eyes were fixed on the face of the reader, and clearly, 
slowly, distinctly, the words went on : — 

“ Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. 
Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor 
his son shalt thou take unto thy daughter.” 

With a little moan Ariel sank down at the foot 
of the pillar, for just as these words were uttered, 
her fascinated eyes had dropped from the face of 
the reader to a little group that stood below him on 
the pavement. There, in all the splendor of his 
burnished coat of mail, stood Nehe, silent, motion- 
less, erect, his hand resting on his sword and his 
eyes fastened on the reader. He, too, was drinking 
in every word of that command, and every line of 
his vigorous young form showed that here was the 
power that would enforce those laws. 

Beside him stood his armor-bearer, Adna, quiet 
and sorrowful, yet with the same look of stern de- 
termination on his face that rested on that of his 
master. 

At the instant that Ariel discovered him, some 
sudden impulse caused Adna to shift his gaze from 
the reader and send a swift glance across the throng. 


268 


NEHE. 


No wonder Ariel sank moaning at the foot of the 
pillar, for the words of the scribe were ringing in 
her ears, and the look in Adna’s face was flashing 
in her eyes. 

As he saw her in her white robe, with her golden 
hair falling about her, and the red rose clasped in 
her hands, he thought he saw a vision, and when in 
an instant she disappeared, he was sure of it. And 
now Ariel crouched trembling at the foot of the 
pillar, and her tears fell fast, but hers were not 
the only tears that were falling in that great assem- 
blage. Many a woman was there whose husband 
had chosen her from among the heathen nations ; 
many a man who had given his son in marriage to 
a daughter of one of the accursed peoples. But the 
voices of the scribe and the Levites went steadily on, 
and at last Ariel hushed her sobs and once more 
gave her thought to what was being said. 

Some of the laws Ezra read were quite clear 
to her, but others she did not understand ; but 
almost every one that was read seemed to call 
forth from the people some fresh indication of 
sorrow. 

‘‘ I and my house have broken this law,” one would 
say. “ What wonder the curse that was threatened 
came upon us ! ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 269 


“ Little did I dream that we were disobeying this 
law,” said a handsome man to his wife, standing near 
Ariel, when the law of the tithes was read. 

Consternation and dismay had spread throughout 
the entire audience, when suddenly Nehemiah, act- 
ing in his capacity of Tirshatha, ascended the plat- 
form and took his place beside Ezra. Stretching 
forth his hand to command silence, he looked over 
the great assembly and said : — 

“ My people, this day is holy unto the Lord your 
God. Mourn not nor weep.” 

There was a world of comfort in his strong, tender 
young voice ; a world of hope and cheer, and many a 
downcast head was upraised and teardrop wiped 
away, as men and women turned their faces toward 
him, while he went on : — 

*‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, 
and send portions unto them for whom nothing is 
prepared, for this day is holy unto the Lord. Neither 
be ye sorry,” — and his voice grew strong and deep 
with a joyousness that sank into the hearts of the 
people, as he added, ‘‘for the joy of the Lord is 
your strength.” 

Then Ezra again stepped forward, and raised his 
hands in benediction, as he said solemnly and 
slowly : — 


270 


NEHE. 


“ Peace be within thy walls, O Jerusalem, and pros- 
perity within thy palaces.” 

“ Amen,” replied the people, bowing themselves to 
the ground. 

And once again Ezra’s voice was heard, as he 
repeated, in ancient Hebrew, solemnly and slowly, 
the sweet words that from time immemorial have 
been the Jews’ confession of faith: — 

“ Hear, O Israel ! ” 

And the people, knowing what was coming, joined 
with one accord in the words that followed : — 

“The Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy might.” 

Like a mighty chant the words arose toward 
heaven, and at their sound Ariel, trembling, sprang 
to her feet. Her heart was beating so fiercely it 
seemed as if it would suffocate her, and her voice, 
when she tried to speak, sounded strange and unnat- 
ural ; but gathering all her courage she struggled to 
where one of the Levites stood. 

The crowd was breaking up now, with sounds of 
laughter and gladness. Lord Nehe’s words of hope 
and cheer had changed their sorrow into rejoicing, 
and they were going home to keep the rest of the 
day in feasting and gladness, as he had bade them. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 271 


And Ariel scarce noticed the crowds. Seizing the 
Levite by the arm, she cried eagerly : — 

Say them again ! Say them again ! Quick, tell 
me those words over ! ” 

“What words.!*” the man asked almost roughly. 
“Do you think I can repeat in a moment all the 
words the learned scribe has been studying these 
thirteen years ? ” 

Then, catching sight of her earnest, excited face, 
he said more gently : — 

“ Which words do you mean, daughter } ” 

“ The last ones,” Ariel answered, and she re- 
peated quickly, “The Lord our God is one Lord. 
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
might.” 

“Why,” said the Levite, “what need have I to 
repeat them.? You know the words full well your- 
self.” 

“But,” questioned Ariel, and a tone of terrible 
anxiety crept into her voice, “is this the prayer of 
any other people or of any other nation save that 
of God’s chosen race .? ” 

“ God forbid,” the Levite answered earnestly. 
“These are the very words given by the Lord 
himself to our leader Moses, sacred to every 


272 


NEHE. 


Hebrew, and unknown to any save those born of 
the seed of Israel.” 

Then,” said Ariel, lifting her head proudly, 
with the light of an unutterable joy shining in her 
blue eyes, “lam a Hebrew ! No longer shall my 
name be called Ariel, but Lydia the Jewess ! ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 273 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

A S she spoke, Lydia turned abruptly away. 

So great, so wonderful, was her joy, its very 
presence made her dumb. She felt dizzy and faint, 
and she longed to throw back her veil that she 
might breathe more freely, but habit held it in 
place. She clasped her hands over her beating 
heart, and a sudden revulsion of feeling swept 
over her. She was never so alive in all her life. 
There were wings on her feet now, and she fled 
swiftly along. Her joy clamored for voice. She 
must tell some one. She must shout aloud. She 
would have the whole nation know that she be- 
longed to them. 

The happy people pushed and jostled her as 
they hurried through the streets. On every side 
gladsome greetings were being exchanged. Two 
old men meeting flung their arms around each 
other. 

‘‘Rejoice, rejoice,” one exclaimed; “once more 
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact 
together.” 


NEHE. 


274 

And the other answered, sobbing with joy: — 

“The Lord has performed His whole work on 
Jerusalem. Once more will the Lord of Hosts 
defend Jerusalem and Mount Zion.” 

As Lydia pushed her way through the happy 
throng, she caught the fastening of her sandal. 
The people were pressing her on every side, so 
that she could not stoop to retie it, and, stepping 
into the doorway of a house where a sweet-faced 
woman stood holding a little child in her arms, she 
said : — 

“ My sandal is untied ; may I stop to fasten it ” 

“ Stop and welcome,” was the woman’s reply. 
“This is a glad day in Israel, sister.” 

“ Sister ! ” How the word thrilled through 
Lydia’s lonely heart ! It seemed to her that she 
had never heard anything more sweet, and she 
turned and looked the woman full in the face 
before she answered : — 

“A glad day, truly, sister.” 

As she spoke, she threw back her veil. What 
a joy it was to look these Hebrew women in the 
face ! Never since leaving Persia had she dared 
to raise her veil in their presence, for she knew 
that her very beauty would render her despicable 
in their eyes, for was she not a heathen girl ? And 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 275 


her very fairness might prove a snare to some 
faithful Jewish son. 

As Lydia’s glance lingered on the lady’s face, 
her heart went out to her. The soft brown eyes 
into which she looked were sweetly serious, and 
on the lady’s delicately formed features rested that 
look of high-born resignation so often found on 
the faces of Hebrew women. She was clothed in 
a costly garment of scarlet, however, and Lydia 
knew, from its handsome embroidery and the richly 
chased golden ornaments that held it on the shoul- 
ders, and the jewels that were hung about her 
neck and wrists, that the lady belonged to one of 
the few wealthy families of Jerusalem. 

As the stranger caught the sheen of Lydia’s 
golden hair and the glance of her blue eyes, a 
look of wonder came into her face, and she said 
inquiringly : — 

''Surely I have not met you before, sister.^ I 
know no maiden of your age who belongs to the 
house of Uziah and the lineage of David, and yet 
surely they are your kinsfolk, for the blue of the 
sky and the yellow of the lily live not in the eyes 
and the hair of any Hebrews save those of the 
house of David. Have I not judged aright, sister } ” 

A flood of color swept over Lydia’s fair face. 


276 


NEHE. 


know not,” she answered softly. “I dare 
not hope that such honor can be mine. I know 
not my father’s house or tribe. I do but know 
that I am a Hebrew maid returned from the 
captivity.” 

** How is that } ” the lady asked in a surprised 
tone. “It is strange indeed that a Hebrew maid 
does not know her tribe and lineage.” 

“ I was stolen in my early childhood,” Lydia 
explained simply, “and I have but this to identify 
me.” 

Putting her hand in her bosom, she drew out the 
ornament which was concealed there. The look of 
interest deepened in the lady’s face as she gazed 
earnestly at the jewel Lydia held out to her. 

“ Does this not tell you who you are } ” she 
asked quickly, and without waiting for a reply she 
took the trinket in her hand, and, touching a spring 
that Lydia had never found, the ornament opened 
at the back, disclosing a polished gold surface on 
which some Hebrew characters were engraved. 

The lady turned the writing to the light and scru- 
tinized it eagerly a moment. Then she closed it 
and handed it back. Her face reflected the radiant 
look that shone in Lydia’s eyes, but her voice 
trembled with great anxiety as she said softly : — ^ 



“ You know my mother! " she gasped, “My mother! ” 





A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 27^ 

“ Lydia, you were long years a captive in the 
land of Babylon. Tell me truly, girl, have you 
bent the knee to false gods ? Have you kept the 
faith of a Hebrew maiden ? Better it were to 
mourn a dead child than live to know an unfaith- 
ful daughter.” 

And Lydia, raising her young head proudly, 
replied : — 

“In the palace of King Artaxerxes Longimanus 
kept I the faith of the Hebrews, making no prayer 
save to the Lord God of the Israelites, and living 
the life of a true Hebrew maiden. That my words 
are true, you will know if you ask my Lady Sarai, 
mother of Lord Nehe, Tirshatha of Jerusalem.” 

The look of joy deepened in the lady’s face. 

“You are Lydia,” she repeated softly, “of the 
house of Uziah and of the lineage of David. Enter 
my house and await the coming of your mother.” 

With a cry like a sob the girl caught the lady’s 
hands. 

“You know my mother!” she gasped. “ My 
mother I And I am of the lineage of David I ” 

Lydia clasped the lady still more closely, and 
stood gazing at her a moment. Then, flinging 
herself upon her neck, the girl broke into convul- 
sive sobs. 


278 


NEHE. 


“ And I thought I was only a heathen girl, 
despised and rejected of my people ! And lo, I 
am of the lineage of David and of the tribe of 
Judah ! 

The lady held her in her strong arms and 
soothed her gently. 

“ You shall see your mother soon, my child,” 
she said, “for I am her sister, and as soon as a 
messenger can be sent for her she will be here.” 

“But I cannot wait!” exclaimed Lydia, impa- 
tiently, catching the lady by the hand. “ Let us 
hasten to her I My mother, my mother 1 ” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 279 


CHAPTER XXVIIL 

O N the evening of the same day, just before 
darkness fell over Jerusalem, Lord Nehe 
entered the temple and knocked at the beautifully 
carved cedar door that opened into the apartments 
of Ezra the scribe. 

It was quickly opened, and Nehe found himself in 
Ezra’s presence. The old man was sitting at a low 
table, on which, early as it was, a lighted silver lamp 
had been set. An attendant stood beside him holding 
in his hand a large roll of parchment which the scribe 
was carefully comparing with a similar roll that lay 
before him on the table. Another silver lamp was 
suspended from the ceiling, which cast its soft radi- 
ance full on the face of the venerable man, bringing 
out the snowy whiteness of his long hair and beard, 
and illuminating the stern outlines of his strong yet 
pure face. 

Nehe stood for an instant gazing at the scribe. 
The young ruler was clad in a richly embroidered 
tunic of Tyrian purple, that almost priceless fabric 
worn only by kings and princes. 


28 o 


NEHE. 


As Ezra looked up and met the eyes of Nehe, set 
in a countenance tanned by desert sun and mountain 
wind, he thought that he had never seen so handsome 
a face or so manly and stalwart a form. No shade of 
envy that he had been deposed to make room for this 
splendid young man darkened his countenance as 
he held out his hands affectionately toward him, 
saying : — 

Welcome, my son ! This has been a great day 
in Jerusalem, and to-morrow will be a still greater 
one.” 

**True, my father,” Nehe answered respectfully. 

see you are busy, are you not, even now, pre- 
paring for it ? I came to confer with you on what 
we shall do.” 

We will follow the ancient laws and customs of 
the feast of tabernacles as closely as may be,” Ezra 
replied. *‘We will send the people forth into the 
mount to fetch olive branches and pine branches and 
myrtle branches, and branches of thick trees, to make 
booths, as it is written. Then, when the feast is 
over, we will let them go home and rest awhile, and 
prepare for the great day of humiliation.” 

“Have you searched well the records regarding 
this day also, my father.?” Nehe inquired anxiously. 

“Yes,” Ezra answered; “for years I have been 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 281 

preparing for just such a time as this, and well I 
know the programme that should be observed on 
that day.” 

‘'It rightly falls next week, does it not?” Nehe 
asked. 

“It does,” the scribe replied. “The tenth day of 
the seventh month is the time prescribed, but that 
would scarcely give us time, would it, my lord, to 
prepare for it ? ” 

“ Scarcely,” Nehe assented. “ Besides, the people 
will be weary with the feast, and I wish them to be 
fresh and vigorous when they enter into the new 
covenant with the Lord. What a wonderful sight 
that will be,” he continued earnestly, his face kin- 
dling with enthusiasm, “ when two by two we go up 
into the temple, you and I leading, my father, with 
the priests and the Levites behind us, and all the 
princes of the people following in solemn procession, 
amid the reverential silence of the congregation, to 
sign that sacred covenant which will give the Israelit- 
ish nation the right once more to claim the protec- 
tion of the Lord God. If the covenant is prepared, 
may I see it ? Are you sure that every word will be 
pleasing to God and binding on the people ? ” 

“On my knees I have drawn it up,” was the 
answer, “ praying day and night that wisdom might 


282 


NEHE. 


be given me. Carefully have I copied the ancient 
manuscript, letter by letter, word by word, adding 
nothing, changing nothing. It is a wonderful law. 
Lord Nehe. How the cruelty of the Persians, the 
brutality of the Assyrians, the superstitions of the 
Greeks and the Egyptians, would fade, could they 
but know this marvellous law ! What peace and 
prosperity might be theirs if they but obeyed it ! ” 
How easily they could know it,” Nehe said ear- 
nestly, ** were not their eyes blinded by the worship 
of false gods. But have you added nothing to the 
ancient covenant, my father.?” 

“Nothing,” Ezra replied, “save to emphasize the 
keeping of the Sabbath, the forbidding of marriage 
with the heathen, and the giving of tithes.” 

“I have written a prayer myself,” Nehe went on 
hesitatingly ; “ a prayer of confession and promise. 
May I read it to you .? ” 

The scribe signified his assent, and Nehe took a 
small roll of parchment from a silver case, and read 
aloud that wonderful recital of God’s goodness and 
Israel’s transgressions which the Levites offered up 
on the day of humiliation. 

As the rich tones of the reader rang out through 
the still room, Ezra’s face grew more and more soft, 
and when, toward the close of the petition, the gov- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 283 


ernor’s voice faltered, his tears mingled with Nehe’s 
as the reader went on with that matchless confes- 
sion, that tender, earnest pleading for help : — 

Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou 
didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them ; 
for thou art a gracious and merciful God. 

“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, 
and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and 
mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, 
that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our 
princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and 
on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time 
of the kings of Assyria unto this day.” 

At the words, “ Let not all the trouble seem little 
before thee that hath come upon us,” Ezra’s voice 
murmured softly : — 

“Truly, my lord, it has been very great.” 

Nehe paused for a moment, and then his strong, 
tender voice went on with the confession, while Ezra 
listened silently to the end, though his falling tears 
manifested his deep appreciation of every word the 
young ruler was uttering : — 

“ Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon 
us ; for thou hast done right, but we have done 
wickedly. Neither have our kings, our princes, our 
priests, nor our fathers kept thy law, nor hearkened 


284 


NEHE. 


unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, where- 
with thou didst testify against them. For they have 
not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great 
goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and 
fat land which thou gavest before them, neither 
turned they from their wicked works. 

“Behold, we are servants this day, and for the 
land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the 
fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are 
servants in it ; and it yieldeth much increase unto 
the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our 
sins : also they have dominion over our bodies, and 
over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great 
distress. 

“ And because of all this we make a sure covenant, 
and write it ; and our princes, Levites, and priests, 
seal unto it.” 

When he had finished, Nehe stood for a moment 
in silence. Then Ezra raised his aged hands and 
laid them softly on the young man’s head. 

“The Lord bless thee and keep thee,” he mur- 
mured in a trembling voice. “ Surely He hath given 
thee wisdom from on high to govern and to lead His 
people.” 

Bowing low in respectful salutation, Nehe turned 
and left the scribe’s apartment. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 285 

Walking rapidly, the young ruler crossed the 
court of the Israelites, and, passing that of the 
women, almost stumbled over the figure of a man 
kneeling in the shadow of a pillar in the court of the 
Gentiles. 

'‘Who’s there the governor asked sharply, for 
the quiet, motionless figure startled him. 

The man arose and stepped out of the shadow into 
the bright moonlight, and then Lord Nehe saw that 
it was his armor-bearer, Adna. 

“ What are you doing here ? ” he demanded. " I 
have had men searching for you all the afternoon.” 

" I crave your pardon, my lord,” Adna answered 
quietly, but with such a strange ring in his voice that 
Nehe regarded him more closely. “ I have seen a 
vision this day, my lord, and I withdrew from the 
crowd to think of it.” 

" What was your vision ? ” Nehe demanded im- 
periously. “This has been a day for rejoicing in 
Israel, Adna, and not for dreaming.” 

“ I was not dreaming, my lord,” Adna replied ; 
“but the vision filled me with a holy joy, and I came 
here, to the temple of my God, that I might comfort 
my sad heart with its sweet remembrance.” 

Lord Nehe had been so utterly absorbed by his 
conversation with Ezra, and by the strange events 


286 


NEHE. 


of that eventful day, that something which other- 
wise he would have told Adna on the instant of 
meeting him had been crowded out of his mind ; 
but as Adna spoke, it came rushing back, and he 
laid his hand affectionately on his armor-bearer’s 
shoulder, saying : — 

Come, Adna, let us walk home to the palace 
through the garden, and you shall tell me of your 
vision, and I will tell you of something more 
wonderful than any vision, and something that 
will bring you greater joy.” 

Adna hesitated a moment, and then the two 
passed out between the marble columns and down 
the wide steps of the temple. 

My lord,” the armor-bearer said, at length, 
I cannot tell you of my vision without confessing 
to you a sin wherein I have sinned against you. 
When King Artaxerxes Longimanus, on that dread- 
ful night, sent me to search for Lydia’s body, I 
did not at once call the guard to my assistance, 
but dashed madly down to the river’s brink alone. 
Scarcely had I reached the water’s edge, my 
lord, when the waves threw her at my very feet. 
Seizing her instantly, I carried her to my mother’s 
house, and there I laid her on my mother’s bed ; 
for it was not meet, my lord, that I should not 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 287 

risk my life to save her sweet dead body, when 
she had given her life to save my living one. This 
done, I hastily returned and called the king’s 
guard, and, as you know, we searched all night. 
Then it was I swore to you that we found her 
not. The next night I went back to my mother’s 
house, thinking to catch one more glimpse of 
Lydia’s lovely face, but my mother had already 
wrapped her in her winding sheet, and so I could 
but carry her to my father’s sepulchre, and lay 
her beside him, safe, at least, from the heathen 
rites and ceremonies of King Artaxerxes Longi- 
manus. Can you forgive me, my lord ? ” 

Nehe took Adna’s hand kindly. 

“ I forgave you long since, Adna,” he said. “ It 
is not news you tell me. But was this your vision 
“ Thank you, my lord,” Adna replied simply ; but 
his mind was evidently so preoccupied with other 
thoughts that there was less warmth of gratitude 
in his voice than there would have been at another 
time. “ And now I will tell you of my vision,” 
he went on, “ for it was something real that I 
saw to-day, and not the dream that I have so 
often dreamed.” 

He paused a moment, as if recalling the sight, 
and then resumed : — 


288 


NEHE. 


“As I stood beside you, while Ezra read aloud 
the law, and the noise of the weeping of the 
people and the voices of the Levites rang in my 
ears, I raised my eyes, and there, standing on a 
portico leaning against a pillar, dressed in a white 
robe and holding the same red rose in her hand 
that she used to hold, her golden hair gleaming 
around her face like a halo, as with parted lips 
and shining eyes she leaned forward as if listening 
breathlessly, stood Lydia ! Then her gaze fell on 
me, and her eyes looked straight into mine, with 
that same wonderful look of sorrow and love that 
shone there when she leaped from the parapet. 
And then, as I gazed, she was gone. The pillar 
shone out white and bare, the voice of the scribe 
and the noise of the people sounded in my ears, 
but I saw nothing save Lydia, nor have I seen 
aught since, my lord. Waking or sleeping, I shall 
see her standing there looking at me, sorrowful 
and beautiful, until I die.” 

As they walked, the two young men had reached 
the gate of the palace garden. Opening it, they 
entered. The moonlight fell softly and white on 
rosebud and balm tree, on hyacinth and jonquil 
blossom, and their perfume was all around them. 

“Come, let us sit here,” Nehe said, drawing 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 289 

Adna down upon the gnarled roots of an old olive 
tree that spread out dark and black beneath its 
glossy leaves. '‘How beautiful this old garden is 
to-night, Adna. Did you ever see the moonlight 
shine more white ? And how sweet the balm trees 
are ! They say the Queen of Sheba brought them 
first to this country, among her gifts to the mighty 
King Solomon.” 

" Was it not strange, my lord,” Adna interrupted, 
" that Lydia’s dress, when I saw her to-day, was 
not such as the Persian maidens wear, but it was 
fashioned like to those of the Hebrew women ? Was 
it not strange, my lord ? ” 

“ Strange indeed,” Nehe replied somewhat impa- 
tiently. “ But think of this old garden for a moment, 
Adna. What curious sights this very olive tree 
may have witnessed ! They say that the olive tree 
counts its life not merely by centuries, but by tens 
of centuries. Perhaps our father Abraham rested 
here as he climbed Mount Moriah to offer Isaac 
on yonder stone that stands now in the temple. 
Have you seen it, Adna ? ” 

" Yes, my lord,” Adna replied listlessly. " It is 
the great stone on which sacrifice is wont to be 
made, is it not ^ ” 

"The same,” Nehe assented dreamily. "I won- 


290 


NEHE. 


der if David and Bathsheba used to walk in this 
garden and watch the baby Solomon playing among 
the flowers. I should not be surprised if Solomon 
himself, in later years, used to bring his lovely 
Egyptian bride down here to rest awhile in the 
moonlight. I can fancy her on that first night, 
sitting beside him here, dressed in her marvellous 
gown of woven gold, embroidered with the sacred 
iris, her eyes shining like stars in the darkness, 
while Solomon sang her that wonderful love song, 
beseeching her to forget her father’s house and to 
worship him. Ah, if he had only begged her to 
worship his God, how different might have been 
his life ! But, after all,” Nehe added, speaking 
softly, as if he had forgotten Adna and were com- 
muning with himself, “it is not of the past — it is 
of the future — I think to-night. Who knows but 
that the great Shiloh Himself will some day rest 
beneath this olive tree ! He will love olive trees, 
I know ! They are so strong and brave and fruit- 
ful ! O that he might come soon ! ” he added pas- 
sionately. “Jerusalem is ready now for her king. 
The walls are builded, the tribes are returning, the 
temple is purified. All that man can do to make 
ready for Him have I done. If only the people 
have prepared a place for Him in their hearts ! For 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 291 


He shall be a holy one when he comes, Adna, and 
neither prophet nor priest nor king can crown Him, 
if the people be not ready for Him.” 

‘‘The whole world awaits His coming, my lord,” 
Adna said respectfully; “why should not His own 
people crown Him ” 

“I know not,” Nehe answered, “save sometimes 
when I see the deep foolishness of my nation, — 
how easily it is led astray, — my heart misgives 
me that when the Holy One shall come, there will 
be no room for Him in the hearts of the Hebrews. 
But I must hasten to tell you the story for which I 
brought you here, Adna. Can you put your vision 
out of your mind long enough to listen to it ? ” 

“My vision will never leave me, my lord,” Adna 
answered; “but I will try to listen to your story.” 

“ Nay, but you must hearken closely,” Nehe said, 
“for my story may have somewhat to do with your 
vision. It begins a long way off. In the city of 
Susa there dwelt among the captive Jews a gold- 
smith, Uziah by name. His curious engraving of 
costly gems had caused him to be in high favor with 
the king, and he had grown immensely rich. At the 
time of which I speak, the king had given permis- 
sion to such of the Hebrews as wished, to return to 
Jerusalem, and Uziah decided that he would cast 


292 


NEHE. 


in his lot with those who went back to their own 
country, knowing that with his wealth he could do 
much to aid in the rebuilding of the temple. Now 
this Uziah had but one child, a fair and beautiful 
little girl, who was dearer to him than all his riches. 
She had been in charge of a Persian nurse since her 
birth, who was very deeply attached to the child. 
Naturally, when she learned that her charge was 
to be taken so far away from her as Jerusalem, her 
grief was intense. Day by day she besought her 
mistress that she might accompany them, but to 
this Uziah would not consent, for the woman was 
a heathen, and he feared her influence over his 
daughter as she grew older. 

“On the day when Uziah’s caravan set out for 
Jerusalem, the child and the nurse disappeared. 
Frantic with grief, the father and mother aban- 
doned their journey and spent a whole year in 
searching for the missing nurse, but not even a 
trace of her was ever obtained, and of course no 
clew of the child. At the end of this time, utterly 
broken-hearted, Uziah and his wife went to Jeru- 
salem, and have since spent their lives in doing 
what they could to succor and help their brethren. 
Are you listening, Adna.^*” 

“I am listening, my lord,” the armor-bearer re- 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 293 

plied. ‘‘My ears hear your words, but my eyes 
see the vision.” 

“ Oh, foolish eyes,” Nehe said, laughing, and laying 
his hand on Adna’s shoulder. “ Listen more closely, 
Adna, for the story grows more interesting. This 
morning the sister of Uziah’s wife went running 
to her. ‘Come,’ she said, ‘great joy has fallen to 
your lot to-day ! ’ And, leading her home, she placed 
in her arms a beautiful girl, at the same time giv- 
ing her proof that this maiden was her daughter. 
Is it not a strange story, Adna.^*” 

“Very strange, my lord,” Adna answered list- 
lessly; “but where had the girl been all the time 
that her father and mother were searching for her.^^” 

“That is the strangest part of it,” Lord Nehe 
went on, and an exultant thrill crept into his voice. 
“The Persian nurse did not attempt to hide the 
child. She simply dyed her beautiful golden hair 
black, and then, going up to the palace of the king, 
took service with my lady mother in the harem. 
No one thought of searching for the child there. 
The years passed by, and the nurse died, leaving 
the girl to the care of my mother. But before the 
Persian woman died she taught the child a prayer 
which she said was the prayer of her own people, 
and she bound around her neck a curious ornament 


294 


NEHE. 


which she warned her never to show to any one 
until she should hear a congregation recite the 
prayer aloud. Then she would know that she had 
found the people to whom she belonged, and the 
ornament would tell them who she was. It was 
through that prayer and ornament that the maiden 
discovered herself to-day.” 

It is an entertaining story, my lord,” Adna said, 
trying hard to be interested. *‘And did you say 
that the girl returned hither with your mother when 
we came from Susa ? ” 

*‘Yes,” Nehe assented, leaning closer toward his 
armor-bearer. “ Put your vision out of your mind 
a moment, Adna. I wish you to hear how. It was 
exceedingly strange.” 

I am listening, my lord,” Adna said patiently ; 
“but the vision is very present to me. Why, even 
as I look down yonder walk, methinks I see the 
shimmer of her white garment and the gleam of her 
golden hair.” 

Nehe looked in the direction in which Adna 
pointed, and then, turning to the young man, re- 
sumed hurriedly : — 

“ Shut your eyes, then, Adna, while I finish this 
story, for hear it you must. This little girl grew up 
in the palace of the king, and as she grew, my mother 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 295 

found within her so true a heart, so beautiful a spirit, 
and so sweet a voice, that she loved her as her own 
daughter. You know the dangers of the harem, 
Adna, and my mother, who had taught the maid 
to worship the God of the Hebrews, shielded her 
with jealous care, lest the king should look upon 
her beauty. But one unhappy night, as she loitered 
singing in the palace garden. King Artaxerxes heard 
her and sent for her.” 

** Poor maiden ! ” Adna exclaimed compassion- 
ately. “ Then Lydia was not the only one who faced 
that ordeal, my lord.” 

Nehe took no notice of the interruption, but con- 
tinued his narration, speaking rapidly : — 

‘‘ But when the great king offered her his love and 
the honor of being his wife, the poor foolish maid 
spurned him, telling him that her heart was no 
longer her own. And when the angry monarch still 
further pressed her, declaring he would discover her 
lover, the brave girl sprang upon the parapet and 
from thence plunged into the river.” 

** My lord ! ” Adna breathed, bending forward, “ my 
lord! And she died.^” 

*‘Oh, no,” Nehe said almost carelessly. ‘*Her lover 
was there in the king’s presence. He ran down to the 
river bank, found her, and took her to his mother.” 


296 


NEHE. 


“But she was dead!” Adna declared excitedly. 
“ My lord, she was dead I I buried her, my lord ! 
With my own hands I laid her in the sepulchre.” 

“No, Adna, she was not dead,” Nehe asserted. 
“ But your mother knew the fate that would overtake 
you both were Lydia discovered to be alive, and so 
she sent her to Jerusalem in the guise of a camel- 
driver. You have not forgotten Ariel, Adna ? ” 
Casting off Lord Nehe’s detaining hand, the 
armor-bearer sprang to his feet. 

“Oh, my lord,” he cried, “where is she.? Let 
me go to her I ” 

Lord Nehe arose, too, and whispered, as he put his 
hand softly on Adna’s arm : — 

“Wait I I think she is coming to you.” 

Adna stood transfixed with emotion. Leaning 
against the dark trunk of the olive tree, his breath 
coming in great gasps, he gazed down the path up 
which a shimmer of white was softly moving ; for 
Lydia, after the great joy of the morning, had 
longed, as evening came on, for the coming of Adna, 
and at last, despairing of seeing him that night, had 
stolen out into the garden, just to be alone for a 
little while with her great joy — just to say over 
to herself the things she dared not even think in 
the crowded palace, with the arms of her father 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 297 


and mother about her; for it seemed ungrateful, 
when their happiness was so intense, that her 
heart should turn with such tender longing to 
another. 

As Lydia moved along the walk, suddenly the joy 
that was in her broke into words, and she approached 
the two men under the olive tree, singing : — 

I am my beloved’s ; he whom I love is mine. 

The chief among ten thousand, his love to me is wine. 

His eyes, like to a dove’s eyes, look love into my heart, 

And waters cannot quench it, nor floods keep us apart.” 

The music of Lydia’s voice broke the spell that 
had held Adna motionless, and he started forward. 
This movement startled the girl, who, seeing two 
dim forms in the darkness, turned to fly. 

With a cry of such caressing sweetness that it 
stopped the fleeing girl as if a strong hand had 
arrested her, Adna sprang forward : — 

“ Lydia, my beloved ! ” 

And Lord Nehe, quietly rising, slipped from the 
garden, his eyes filled with a mist of tender gladness. 


298 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

O N a beautiful morning in early autumn, a party 
of Arabs who had encamped on the mountains 
of Ephraim came out from their tent and stood look- 
ing at the landscape before and around them. 

Their camels and horses were tethered near, and 
their baggage lay before the door, for it was evident 
that these travellers were hastening from Samaria to 
the desert, and had drawn aside from the main road, 
not only to rest over night, but also to escape 
observation. 

Early as it was, they saw that every road and by- 
path were filled with crowds of people hastening 
toward Jerusalem. From every hamlet and village, 
from every terraced vineyard and farm on the sloping 
hills, companies of gayly dressed men, women, and 
children were issuing. Aged men with white turbans 
resting on their still whiter hair, wearing flowing 
cloaks of brown and white, walked with their sturdy 
sons, whose wives were attired in tunics and shawls 
of soft, rich colors. Over their black tresses were 
flung the long veils without which a Hebrew woman 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 299 


is never seen, and often from their folds at the back 
peeped out the laughing face of a baby. 

These were the matrons, but the younger women 
wore their veils flung back from their faces, revealing 
their silver earrings and a multitude of gold and 
silver chains upon their necks and arms, while other 
ornaments equally beautiful adorned their slender 
ankles and dainty feet, making a continual musical 
sound as the wearers walked. Round about them all 
flitted the children of the family, their bright-hued 
garments giving them at a distance the appearance 
of gorgeous butterflies. 

“ Surely the hand of God is with this people,” one 
of the Arabs said. “ Look at yonder hillside. The 
ancient terraces have all again been occupied, and 
soon orchards of olive and walnut, fig and pomegran- 
ate trees, will climb their sides to the very top, as 
they did in the days of the great King Solomon.” 

As the Arabs looked, the gates of the small walled 
town of Geba opened, and a procession issued forth. 
Although the observers on their mountain perch were 
high above the village, they could see that the com- 
pany was composed of stalwart youths and men 
dressed in flowing white garments. As the pro- 
cession poured forth from the gate, the men took 
up a long, swinging, steady stride, and through the 


300 


NEHE. 


sweet, clear morning air came a burst of deepest 
melody : — 

“ Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands ! ” 

The words floated up clear and distinct, and the 
Arabs hushed their speech to listen ; but in a moment 
one said : — 

“Those are the singers that are to sing to-day at 
the great festivity, when the young ruler dedicates 
the mighty walls of Jerusalem. See, yonder comes 
another band.” 

As he spoke, a procession similar to the first issued 
from Azmaveth, a city set like a pearl in the emerald 
of the fields below. This second company, catching 
the words the first was singing, joined its voices with 
those of their brethren, and a flood of melody went 
sweeping up the hillsides as the psalm of praise went 
on : — • 

“Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his 
presence with singing.” 

Then valley and hillside were filled with music and 
rejoicing, for other companies of singers and parties 
of white-robed Levites took up the song, while many 
families, as they journeyed onward, added their voices 
to the psalm, the shrill tones of the women, accom- 
panied by the tinkling of their silver ornaments, ris- 
ing high and clear above the deep bass of the men. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 301 

‘‘There will be no one left on hillside or plain 
to-day,” a young Arab said, turning to an elderly 
man who just then came out of the tent. “ What a 
day this would be for raiding flocks and herds.” 

“ Think not of it, my son, I pray you,” the old man 
answered. “ Since the Hebrews have rebuilt the 
walls of Jerusalem, ’tis said that the mighty God who 
protected King Solomon has again come to the aid of 
this people.” 

“Nevertheless,” the son insisted, “you will not 
give up your errand in the city, will you, O sheik ? ” 

“No,” the old man replied; “we will continue our 
undertaking. Tis true I failed to sell the woman to 
Sanballat, but I do not despair of getting back the 
mare.” 

“ I wonder,” the young man said hesitatingly, “ if 
it would not be better to try to buy Neko back.? I 
put no trust in the stables’ being left unguarded 
to-day.” 

“ Has your heart melted, my son ? ” the old man 
asked scornfully. “If so, I will myself go for the 
mare.” 

“ Fear has no lodgement in my bosom,” the young 
man replied proudly ; “ but see, the people are fast 
entering Jerusalem. It is time we set forth.” 

As they turned away, the old man stopped to 


302 


NEHE. 


speak a word of warning to the tribesmen who 
were lingering near the tent door. 

“ Guard well the woman,” he commanded. “ Let 
no man see her face; it was in this neighborhood 
she was made captive. Be quite ready to start, 
but do not leave this spot until you see my son 
ride out of the Damascus gate on the mare. Then 
do not attempt to follow him, but strike straight 
for our tribe in the desert. I will join you on the 
road.” 

Then, girding up their robes, father and son set 
out toward Jerusalem, the sheik riding a horse, while 
his son walked beside him. 

An hour’s journey brought the Arabs to the 
gate, and as they approached it, their progress 
became more and more difficult. Crowds of people 
pressed them on every side, for the whole popu- 
lation of the surrounding country was hastening to 
reach Jerusalem before the hour set for the dedi- 
cation of the walls. 

Once inside the gate, the pushing, jostling crowd 
divided. The women and children, and part of 
the men, with the servants and the aged, hastened 
to the large open space in front of the temple, 
while the priests and the Levites, the singers, the 
princes of Judah and Benjamin, and the heads of 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 303 


families who were to take part in the dedication 
ceremonies, made their way as rapidly as possible 
to the western wall, from whence the procession 
was to start. Here the marshals were awaiting 
them, ready to show every man the place assigned 
him. So quietly and quickly was this work done, 
that when the sun-dial marked the hour of nine 
a long flourish of trumpets proclaimed to the waiting 
people that the procession was about to move. 

Four abreast the singers marched up the steps 
to the wall, and then divided into two companies, 
one of which turned to the south and the other to 
the north. To the waiting throngs below, watching 
the procession, the sight was one that aroused their 
deepest enthusiasm and patriotism. 

The singers led the way, their marching figures 
silhouetted against the blue of the sky, as with 
pipe and harp, psaltery and sackbut, they raised 
the mighty chant : — 

“ They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount 
Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.” 

And lifting up their eyes to the hills, the chorus 
came back : — 

“As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, 
so the Lord is round about his people from hence- 
forth even forever.” 


304 


NEHE. 


As the singers ascended the wall, they were fol- 
lowed by Lord Nehe and Ezra, clad alike in the 
long, white garments of the scribes. The stature, 
as well as the garments of the two, was the same, 
but here all similarity in their appearance ceased. 
Ezra’s white head was bent with the weight of 
many years of incessant toil and disappointment, 
and on his stern features rested a look of sweet 
and touching resignation that even the proud tri- 
umph of to-day could not dispel. As he glanced 
at the body of singers already pouring forth their 
floods of joyous song, he compared their number 
with that of the four thousand that had taken part 
in the dedication of the first great temple, and he 
sighed for Israel’s lost glory. 

But Nehemiah carried his head proudly, and on 
his face rested a look of glad and triumphant sweet- 
ness. The work that he had set out to do had 
been accomplished infinitely better than he had 
dared to hope. He thought not of Israel’s vanished 
greatness, but of her promised glory; and in the 
bands of singing men and marching princes he 
saw dimly foreshadowed the great army that should 
some day follow the Prince of Peace. 

Behind the leaders marched the dignitaries of 
the city, clad in their magnificent robes, rich in 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 305 


every brilliant hue dear to the Oriental heart, and 
contrasting with the white robes of the singers 
who preceded them and of the priestly families 
that followed. Seen from a distance, they looked 
as if a gigantic rainbow had been torn from its 
place in the heavens and stretched along the ram- 
parts of Jerusalem. 

Leaning on their staves came next the princes 
of the people, and back of all another company of 
white-robed priests, shrilling forth their joy on silve»' 
trumpets, the sign of their sacred office. 

Solemnly and majestically, the two bands, in 
charge of their respective leaders, Nehemiah and 
Ezra, circled the city walls, going in opposite 
directions, voice answering to voice, and trumpet 
call to trumpet call, until at last they faced each 
other in the prison gate, and, joining their forces, 
marched from the wall. The waiting throng caught 
up the song, men, women, and children uniting 
their voices to those of the musicians. High and 
loud the melody rose, until it seemed that the very 
skies themselves joined in the singing, so clear 
and sweet, so strong and triumphant it was, 
as the great host swept rejoicing up the steps 
into the temple, and as the magnificent chorus 
chanted, “ For he is good, for his mercy endureth 


3o6 


NEHE. 


forever.” Lord Nehe raised his proud, wistful 
young eyes, half hoping, half expecting, that the 
strange, mysterious golden cloud which had once 
proclaimed God’s presence, would again fill the 
temple. 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 307 


CHAPTER XXX. 

I T was late in the afternoon when Lord Nehe and 
Hanani entered the private apartment of their 
mother. Lady Sarai came forward and greeted 
them affectionately, and little Bani, who was trying 
to tie a tinkling bell to the neck of a tiny fawn, 
dropped his toy and sprang into his father’s arms. 

But Jamin, who was standing by a window watch« 
ing the sun as it threw a flood of golden light over 
the joyous city, turned an eager, strained face upon 
his uncle, but did not leave his post. 

“ Come hither, Jamin,” Hanani cried. “ Have 
you no welcome for your father to-night.? See, 
little Bani has seized the first kiss, and it is your 
birthright, my son.” 

Jamin obediently moved forward, but his eyes 
looked appealingly into Lord Nehe’s face. 

“ Uncle,” he cried, “ will the sun never set to- 
night .? All the afternoon I have lain beside the dial 
watching, and for hours sometimes the shadow has 
not moved. And now see the §un, it hangs there 


3o8 


NEHE. 


like a great red flower thrown against the sky. It 
has no life or motion. Will it never set again ? ” 
Hanani looked at the boy anxiously, and laid a 
caressing hand on his hot forehead. 

“ Are you ill, Jamin ” he asked tenderly. 
“ Usually the sun sinks all too fast for you boys. 
What is the matter tb-night ? ” 

Before Jamin could answer. Lord Nehe put out 
his hand and drew the excited boy to him. Bending 
his head he whispered softly in his ear. As Jamin 
heard the words and felt his uncle’s strong, tender 
clasp, his face lost its anxious look and one of 
wonderful brightness took its place; but again his 
eyes sought the window from which he could see 
the sun flinging great waves of crimson light across 
the sky. 

“ What a wonderful day this has been ! Hanani 
exclaimed, turning again to Lord Nehe, as he seated 
himself and lifted little Bani to his knee. “ But my 
heart fails me when I think of governing so great 
a people. I pray that Artaxerxes may soon permit 
you to return to Jerusalem. Must you indeed set 
out for Susa next month ? ” 

“I must indeed,” Nehe answered. ‘*The king’s 
order was imperative. Do you but follow the law,^ 
Hanani, and all will be well with the people.” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 309 

“I will try,” Hanani replied quietly. “If but 
this ceaseless pain that gnaws at my heart could 
have ease, methinks I could be a better and wiser 
judge.” 

At this moment an attendant entered, and, going 
swiftly to Lord Nehe, spoke to him in a low voice. 
Jamin leaned forward eagerly to catch the words. 
Then with a cry he sprang up, seized little Bani 
by the hand, and rushed from the room. Lady 
Sarai glanced up with a startled look, and Lord 
Nehe arose and stood before his brother. 

“Your pain shall have a speedy relief, Hanani,” 
he said, with the same joyous ring in his voice that 
had been there the night he found his brother in 
the far-away garden in Susa. 

Hanani leaped to his feet excitedly, and Nehe 
went on : — 

“ To-day as I sat in my room after the ceremony 
in the temple, word was brought that a messenger 
from Sanballat awaited me. ‘ I will not see him ! ’ 
I cried in sudden fury. ‘Perchance he comes, as 
he came before, with another open letter from San- 
ballat, the greatest insult one ruler can offer to 
another. He would degrade and humiliate me in 
the sight of my people. Drive the fellow hence, 
with blows if need be, for I will not see him.’ 


310 


NEHE. 


“ The attendant went out, and in a moment 
Jamin, who had just left me after telling a strange 
tale of how he had seen Sheik Imbrim in the crowd 
this morning, came flying back with news that made 
me send instantly after the departing man. 

“ When the messenger was brought into my apart- 
ment, one of my soldiers whispered to me that he 
had seen the man with an Arab who had made a 
vain attempt to steal the mare Neko from her stall 
while the dedication ceremonies were in progress. 
I turned to the man and asked him what his busi- 
ness might be. Bowing low, he told me that he 
had been sent by Sanballat to tell me that the 
son of one of his slaves had stolen from him a mare 
that was valuable to him because he had raised her 
and feared not to ride her, but to others the horse 
was vicious and not to be trusted. This horse, he 
had heard, was now in my stable in Jerusalem. 
‘Justice and right,’ the sheik continued, ‘demand 
that the mare be returned to her owner; but the 
generous Sanballat has sent you rich presents in 
exchange for his favorite steed. So a man awaits 
without, with a carpet of priceless value, and gold 
the worth of many a slave.’ 

“ Then I arose in my wrath and plucked him by 
the beard. ‘ Thou liest. Sheik Imbrim,’ I said ; ‘ the 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 31 1 

horse is thine own and not Sanballat’s. Thou didst 
try but this morning to steal her from my stables. 
And the boy who took her is no slave, but the son 
of the man who was to-day made governor of Jeru- 
salem, to rule during my absence. Moreover, thou 
boldest now in thy possession Hannah, this man’s 
beautiful wife.’ 

“ ‘ By the sepulchre of my fathers,’ he declared, 
‘ some one hath deceived my lord. I know not the 
woman.’ 

“ ‘ By the sepulchre of my fathers,’ I retorted, 
‘ thou shalt die this night if Hannah be not brought 
here as soon as swiftest horse and fastest rider can 
bring her.’ 

‘^Then I called Jamin from where he was hidden 
in the archway of the door. When the sheik saw 
him, he fell down at my feet and confessed that his 
story was a lie and that he told it thinking I would 
more readily grant the request of a great chief than 
that of an unknown Arab sheik. 

* I will arise and bring the woman hither at 
once,’ he said, Hor she is near at hand in the 
mountains.’ 

*‘But this I refused to permit, and sent out for 
the messenger who had carried in the carpet. 

‘ Now take Sheik Imbrim’s signet ring,’ I com- 


312 


NEHE. 


manded him, ‘ and the gold thou hast brought 
and the carpet, and haste thee to the mountains. 
Return speedily with the woman Hannah, who is 
held captive. And mark thee well! Now the 
sun rides high in the heavens. If Hannah be 
not here when he has sunk behind yon hills. Sheik 
Imbrim dies! For many and grievous are the 
troubles he has brought upon my people, and well 
he deserves this punishment.’ ” 

With white face and trembling lips Hanani had 
been listening in an agony of suspense to Lord Nehe’s 
words. Now he could restrain himself no longer. 

“Oh, Nehe,” he cried, “why did you not send 
me ? I would have found her and she would have 
been here hours ago.” 

“ It was not meet,” Nehe answered quietly, 
“that when this afternoon was set as the time to 
present you to the people as their future governor, 
you should be absent. The king’s business cannot 
wait, my brother.” 

“ But did you leave my wife in the hands of the 
Arabs } ” Hanani demanded. 

“ No, dear brother,” Nehe replied. “ I sent Adna 
with a mounted guard of my best Persian soldiers, 
and he swore to me that he would be back with 
Hannah before the sun should set,” 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 313 


With a common impulse the brothers turned to 
the open window, while Lady Sarai, the soft tears 
flooding her eyes, fell on her knees with her face 
upraised toward heaven, in silent supplication. 

The sun hung like a red globe low in the sky, 
and then suddenly, swiftly, as if pushed by mighty, 
merciful, unseen hands, it sank behind the horizon 
and was gone. 

Hanani turned to Nehe and grasped both his arms. 

“The sunset has come and gone,” he gasped; 
“ where is Hannah, my wife ? ” 

“I am here, beloved,” a sweet voice answered, 
and, turning, Hanani saw her. She was standing 
in the open doorway. Framed in its marble purity, 
with the glory of the crimson sunset flooding her 
white garments, she looked as if carved from ala- 
baster. One strong, shapely arm held Bani tightly 
pressed against her bosom, his golden curls min- 
gling with her down-falling black tresses. With her 
other arm she circled Jamin, but her eyes were on 
her husband’s face alone, and as Hanani looked 
deep into their shining depths, a wave of perfect 
happiness swept over him. 

In an instant Hanani had caught Hannah in his 
arms, and all the joy of that great city could not 
equal the joy in that little room. 


314 


NEHE. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


MONTH has passed away since the day on 



jL\, which the walls of Jerusalem were dedicated, 
and once again the morning sun, flooding the city 
with the splendor of a new day, shows crowds of 
hurrying people filling its streets. 

But to-day there is no gorgeous procession for 
them to see. There is no blare of trumpets nor 
sound of drums, and when the people greet each 
other it is with hushed voices and saddened faces. 

The way from the palace to the water gate is lined 
with the waiting crowd. Many tears are falling as 
the people turn toward the palace. Presently its 
gate opens and there issues forth a little procession. 
It consists of a few score splendidly equipped soldiers, 
dressed from head to foot in Persian armor and 
mounted upon fine, swiftly moving steeds. The men 
carry the shining gilded shields borne only by the 
king’s guard. Behind them come the dromedaries, 
rapid and silent as shadows, loaded with camp 
utensils. 

At the head of the cavalcade, clad in the glittering 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 315 


suit of armor so familiar and so dear to the eyes of 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, rides their loved young 
ruler, Lord Nehemiah. As he moves swiftly down 
the street, with pale, set face and shining eyes, many 
a hand is outstretched toward him in blessing and 
affectionate farewell. 

The people press against the sides of the narrow 
streets as the cavalcade passes swiftly by, but Lord 
Nehe pauses not. With jingle of spurs and clink of 
armor the company rides steadily toward the gate. 
The great square before it is densely packed with the 
thronging crowds, and here, as in the streets, prayers 
and sobs and blessings greet the young ruler as he 
pauses for a moment while the heavy bolts and bars 
are being withdrawn. 

As Nehe faces the waiting people, a tall Levite, 
raising his voice above the murmur of the multitude, 
stretches out both arms toward him and calls 
beseechingly : — 

“When thou standest in the palace of the king, 
my lord, forget us not. Return, O well beloved; 
return to us again!” 

With his left hand Lord Nehe raises his helmet, 
as he extends his right toward the weeping multitude, 
while his voice rings clear and sweet as the call of a 
silver trumpet as he says : — 


3i6 


NEHE. 


“ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand 
forget her cunning! Let my tongue cleave to the 
roof of my mouth if I prefer not Jerusalem above my 
chief joy!” 

When he finishes speaking, the beautiful Miriam, 
standing by Shallum her father, springs forward and 
throws around the neck of Lord Nehe’s charger a 
garland of white roses. Hastily leaning forward, 
Nehe selects one of the blossoms and thrusts it be- 
tween the links of his armor over his heart. With 
tear-dimmed eyes the young ruler once more bends 
his head in silent salutation. The tears and sobs 
break out afresh. The gate flies open with a clang. 
The cavalcade passes through, the gate is closed 
behind it, and the people realize that their loved 
governor is gone. 

For a time the party gallops swiftly along the road, 
and as Nehe rides, the set look leaves his face and is 
replaced by one of deep and happy interest. Wher- 
ever he turns, signs of prosperity greet him. As he 
descends the valley, shepherds are seen leading forth 
their flocks, herds of cattle are grazing on the hill- 
sides, and the smoke ascending from the hearths of 
thousands of farms and villages tells that the inhab- 
itants are preparing their morning meal in peace and 
quietness. In the plains below, fields of grain stretch 


A TALE OF THE TIMES OF ARTAXERXES. 317 


away on every hand, and the odor of balm trees and 
the scent of fragrant vineyards fill the morning air. 

At length the band reaches the height of Olivet, 
and turns to descend the eastern slope. Here 
Lord Nehe halts his horse and lets his troop sweep 

past him. When it is quite gone, he faces about 

and once more views the land for which he has 
suffered and has dared so much. 

Terrace above terrace, height above height, as 
far as the eye can see, stretch the green hills toward 
the north, while on the south the mountains of 
Moab drop like a purple veil, shutting out the sands 
of the desert. Before him, far away, shines the 
great sea, the silver shield that God has set between 
His people and the barbarians. Beneath him, so 
near in the clear morning air it seems as if it lay 

at his very feet, is Jerusalem ! And as he sits 

there, motionless and silent, his eyes rest on the 
city in an ecstasy of delight. How magnificent it 
is, throned like a queen on the hill of Zion, with 
her mighty walls, like strong arms, encircling her, 
and her glorious temple, pure and white, gleaming 
like a precious pearl, crowning her right royally. 

For a moment more Lord Nehe sits in silence. 
Then, stretching forth both arms, as though he 
would enfold the city, he exclaims : — 


3i8 


NEHE. 


** How beautiful thou art, O Jerusalem ! Peace be 
within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces ! ” 
Then, clasping his hands and raising them rever- 
ently toward heaven, he exclaims entreatingly : — 
“Think upon me, my God, for good, according 
to all that I have done for this people.” 

Again he casts a long, lingering look upon the 
city, brooding over it as a mother broods over the 
face of her sleeping babe. Then, turning his horse 
abruptly, he disappears down the mountain pass. 


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